By JODIE SYMONDS
A SISTER and brother will cycle 200 kilometres in two days for cancer research in October.
Seville East resident Robyn Hall, 43, and her brother Matt Ahern, 42, will be cycling to honour their father’s 12-year battle against cancer.
The mother of three will be part of the Slow Wheely Team and will be cycling in the Ride to Conquer Cancer in Melbourne.
Their father, 65-year-old Gane Ahern was delivered the devastating news that he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
Having just been dealt the news of his diagnosis, within eight weeks he underwent a laryngectomy to remove his voicebox, the surrounding tissue and lymph nodes.
Concerns were raised by Mr Ahern’s family about whether he would be able to communicate with his family again.
He then endured six long weeks of radiotherapy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and a hole was put in his neck for him to be able to breathe freely.
After an emotional journey of not being able to speak to his loved ones, Mr Ahern was fitted with a voice prosthesis and an artificial voice.
The ongoing 10-year fight against cancer came to a joyous end when doctors gave him the all-clear in 2013.
However just days later, his family were given the heart-breaking news that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“His strength and courage through this has inspired us to get out there and do something we wouldn’t have thought we could,” Ms Hall said.
“We wanted to show our thanks for all those years of research and medical advances that have already helped save our dad.”
Doctors have given Mr Ahern the all-clear but he still needs follow-up treatments to prevent the cancer attacking again.
Despite not riding a bike since her teens, Ms Hall decided to participate in the Ride to Conquer Cancer to raise money.
All donations from the ride will support the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia’s only public hospital solely dedicated to cancer.
“By raising these funds we hope it may help someone else hang onto their loved ones,” Ms Hall said.
“I’m so excited and proud to be a part of this event, with my brother riding as well, it’s a cause we both feel strongly for and we just can’t wait for the day to get here
“I wish to also show my respect to my nan (dad’s mum) who we also recently lost to bladder cancer and an uncle who we lost to liver cancer.”
If you would like to donate to the event and support Mr Ahern and other families, visit ml14.conquercancer.org.au
