Thursday, 15 May 2025

 Chris COUZENS (Geelong) (10:06): On Sunday I had the pleasure of welcoming participants to the 2025 Mother’s Day Classic Embrace and Honour walk in Geelong. Hundreds of people turned out to embrace those living with or impacted by cancer and to honour those we have lost. It was a privilege to meet with the coordinating committee to hear from them, these courageous, determined women, about their experiences as cancer survivors. A huge thankyou to Albane Mahaut, Rosa Kure, Sarah Chandley, Isia Foy and Sophie Harris for their inspiring work. Since it all began in 1998, the Geelong community has donated millions of dollars for lifesaving breast and ovarian cancer research. These funds have allowed researchers to investigate how to better detect, treat and prevent the diseases, but there is still a long way to go. Breast cancer is the second-most diagnosed cancer in Australia, with one in seven women diagnosed in their lifetime. Tragically, the five-year survival rate for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is 49 per cent, and there is no early detection test. Every day in Australia 12 people die from breast or ovarian cancer. One death is too many. Listening to these incredible women talk about the challenges they faced – the struggle of caring for their children whilst going through treatment and how for some their partner had to leave their employment to become the primary carer, causing financial hardship – I was so taken by their willingness to share their experiences.