A record number of more than 800 women and men are walking Perth streets today raising money for women’s cancer research in WA.
So far, the New Town Toyota Walk for Women’s Cancer has raised more than $1,070,100.
Professor Peter Leedman AO, Director of the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, which is supported by the Walk, said the funds will make a significant difference to breast and ovarian cancer research.
“We will dedicate these funds to our laboratories investigating breast and ovarian cancers.
“Funds will support Associate Professor Pilar Blancafort’s lab and work in women’s cancer research, as well as ongoing research into the use of honey-bee venom on cancer cells. This leverages an earlier global discovery made by Perkins’ researchers that bee venom aggressively kills breast cancer cells. The remainder will fund the annual New Town Toyota Walk for Women’s Cancer prize awarded to a researcher doing promising work in women’s cancer”, he said.
Walkers left the grounds of UWA at 7am. They will walk either 35km or 42 km through Perth streets before returning to the university.
Professor Leedman said many of the participants took part because they had lost someone to cancer, knew someone struggling with the disease or were even undergoing treatment themselves.
“The determination of walkers in this event to raise funds for breast and ovarian cancer research at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research is very moving. For many their commitment is personal.”
The Rosebuddies, a team of three women who have raised more than $34,000 this year spoke at this morning’s opening ceremony.
“Over the past 7 years we have been impacted by cancer in ways that the three of us would never have imagined. There have been moments that we wish had never happened, life-shattering and devastating moments, moments of hope and moments of intense sadness.
“We all desperately want a cure and kinder treatments for this heartbreaking disease.
“Only medical research can find new treatments. We just need to look back on the past two years of COVID to appreciate the power and impact that money and minds can have on global health,” said team member and cancer survivor, Carrie Tatlow.
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