Bianca Taylor is set to lace up the joggers and hit the highway this week.
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The former Shoalhaven resident now lives on the Central Coast but will be returning to take part in Jay's Longest Melanoma March on Tuesday, May 14.
She'll complete 42 kilometres from the Log Cabin, near Tomerong, through to Gerringong in the one day.
The march will also head through Milton today, Monday, May 13.
Jay Allen is behind the initiative. He's a former truck driver and melanoma survivor, who is now involved with the Melanoma Institute Australia.
Jay is walking 2000 kilometres in 50 days, from Adelaide to Sydney, finishing on May 19.
He'll be joined by melanoma patients, survivors, and their friends and family.
Bianca's family has been touched by melanoma, and said it's inspired her to walk and raise money, research and awareness to combat the disease.
"My husband had a small melanoma on his arm when he was 20-years-old, so that's my motivation to walk," she said.
"Jay's story is so inspiring I just jumped at the chance to participate."
Bianca grew up in Jervis Bay, and later lived in Erowal Bay, Sanctuary Point and St George's Basin.
Jay said he has three goals in mind by participating in the 2000 kilometre trek.
"The march is all about three things. Firstly, it is about people who have been affected by melanoma coming together in support, solidarity and positivity," he said.
"Secondly, it is about raising awareness of this deadly disease and the need to be sun safe and to get regular skin checks. And thirdly, it's about raising funds in support of Melanoma Institute Australia's research to finally eliminate this awful disease."
Jay was just 32 years old when he was diagnosed with melanoma.
Overnight he went from being a truck driver to a cancer patient.
"I had a mole on my ankle that looked unusual and kept rubbing on my work boots and bleeding," Jay said.
"It turned out to be a melanoma which was 1.95mm deep and had spread to my lymph nodes."
Eleven years on he is fighting fit and looking to raise even more fund than he did in his 2017 fundraiser where he trekked 1,200 km from Brisbane to Sydney in 29 days for The Longest Melanoma March, raising more than $250,000 to support vital melanoma research.
Anybody can show their support at www.melanomamarch.org.au
All funds will be allocated to a neo-adjuvant clinical trial research project.
WHY WE NEED TO END MELANOMA?
- Melanoma causes 75 per cent of skin cancer deaths. Australia has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world .
- One Australian dies from melanoma every five hours.
- Melanoma is the most common cancer in 15 to 39-year-olds.
- Incidence in people over 60 is also very high and increasing.
- If detected early, 90 per cent of melanomas can be successfully treated with surgery.
- Over the past five years, the use of surgery plus additional treatment modalities has significantly extended life expectancy in people with advanced disease (where the melanoma has spread to other organs)
- In 2009, the one-year survival rate for patients with Stage IV melanoma was only 30 per cent.
- With advances in medical research, today we are seeing survival rates of up to 75 per cent.