"Cause I Can" Judith Cantor's fundraising projects

What went down in Dee Why

I can't lie to you. Last Saturday wasn't easy. In fact, taking part in the Sun Run was something of a slog. Let me tell you why.

I hadn't been well since Wednesday night (fever, shakes, achy body and sore throat) and deep down I knew I really shouldn't be taking part. The little voice in my head saying the opposite didn't seem to want to go away though. I decided to set my alarm for 5am - the event was due to start at 6.45am in a suburb 45 minutes away on a good day - and make a decision then.

When my alarm went off, I lay in bed contemplating my options and gently moving my limbs to assess the damage. I decided I was going to do it. Dosed up on andrographis and olive leaf extract, I hit the road.

The traffic was shocking and the parking even worse. Thank goodness for Google maps or I wouldn't have found my car afterwards! I made it to the starting line with literally 20 seconds to go - the closest shave I've ever had. 

The lovely thing was that, after days of clouds and rain throughout Sydney, the sun came out. It felt like something of a miracle and I took it to be a sign that I'd made the right decision in doing the run. Well, walk. I was sensible enough not to push my body too far.

It was a gorgeous 6.5km track - with over 4,500 other entrants - along the coastline towards Manly. Spectators were dotted along the way cheering us on. Even Michelle Bridges made an appearance (see photos)!

I was so happy to have taken part. Sadly I landed up at the doctor's surgery on Sunday and am now dosed up with heavier medication, but it was all worth it.

Why?

Because I was doing it for the Australian Conservation Foundation. Without them, and other organisations like them, there's no guarantee we'll be able to walk along such gorgeous landscape in the future. They exist to protect, restore and sustain the environment. They aim to inspire and promote a society which is environmentally aware and responsible. 

This is so important. For us. For the future generations of Australia. Important enough for me to get out of my sick bed!

If you also believe in a green and healthy environment, and enjoy being able to spend time outdoors and admire the beauty, please support the work that they do. Donate today. 

Thanks.

Some say crazy, I say Inspired!

A couple of weeks ago I joined 84,999 other fitness and community enthusiasts for City2Surf - a 14km track from the Sydney CBD to iconic Bondi Beach. Despite having "won" myself a spot in the Red start (read: right up front) through making a relatively substantial donation to The Inspire Foundation and securing a gold race bib, I took it slow this year. I felt somewhat justified given I have whiplash from a hit-and-run accident that happened only a couple of weeks before the race. That, plus I met and walked alongside another gold bib-ber, Laura, from the Centenary Foundation.

Let me tell you, starting at the front was quite an experience... Those guys are fierce! Thankfully I had braced myself for their focused determination and managed to get to the left-hand side of the track early on or I would have been trampled. Even more important since it was drizzling when the gun went off.

What I wasn't prepared for was the waves of participants throughout the 14km course; for each staged start, a field of runners would stampede past me leaving behind an eerie silence and deserted street until the next wave hit. It did mean I could take my time taking photos.

I'm really glad to have been able to celebrate my second anniversary of monthly charity challenges by raising funds and awareness for The Inspire Foundation. They're a great charity that help young people live happy lives through the values of compassion, generosity, inclusiveness, responsibility and fun. Since suicide is the leading cause of death among 14-25 year olds, having people around who care about youth mental health is vital.

I am still really keen to reach my $1,000 goal but time is running out in a big way - it's September tomorrow! And I still have $535 to go... Please could you help me by making a donation today? All you need to do is visit www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_35 and follow the prompts.

It'd be really fantastic to know that fewer kids are going through dark times, don't you think?

Painting the town red

On Sunday 5 June I joined a crowd of crimson clad supporters of MS Society for the annual MS Walk. It was a truly beautiful morning; there was a palpable sense of community spirit and good cheer around me as I headed off from Hyde Park towards the Botanic Gardens in Sydney.

One of the things I noticed was that there seemed to be fewer people in wheelchairs taking part this year. Maybe it's a sign that there are fewer people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who need them for mobility now! How wonderful would that be? 

I remember when my friend Mel was first diagnosed with MS. She was terrified at the thought of being confined to a wheelchair at such a young age - she was only in her early thirties. With education and support from her family, friends and the MS Society however, she came to understand the manifestations of the disease and how she could manage it and lead a wonderfully fulfilling life. Thank goodness she did or she might have found it difficult to look after her extremely lively, happy baby boy!

So what exactly is MS? 

According to the MS Australia website, MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.

The immune system, which usually works to protect the body, mistakenly starts to attack the body’s own tissue. The primary target of this attack is thought to be myelin, the protective coating around the nerve cells in the CNS that facilitates nerve conduction. The nerve cells themselves can also be damaged. The attacks on myelin produce ‘scarring’ or ‘plaques’ at multiple sites in the CNS, and it is these scars that give the disease its name. These scars, in turn, begin to slow or interrupt the transmission of nerve impulses, resulting in the symptoms of MS.

With your support, more research can be done. I believe it's only a matter of time before a cure is found. If you do too, and would like to contribute to the breakthrough, please visit http://register.mswalk.org.au/2011-MS-Walk-and-Fun-Run-Sydney/judithcantor and make a donation. 

Thanks very much!

Have a look at my event photos; Sydney really is a beautiful city!

Time waits for no-one...

And no-one fees this more that someone who is critically ill. I know I can't fathom that it's already been three weeks since I took part in National Breast Cancer Foundation's (NBCF) annual Mother's Day Classic in the Sydney CBD. Thankfully, although I get sick, I don't have serious illness to contend with... it just means I'm getting old!

It was a beautiful morning shared with my mum, sister, two nieces and around 120,000 other do-gooders and fitness enthusiasts across Australia. Some ran, some walked, some rolled and some were pushed but we all came together in the name of people who had passed away as a result of breast cancer or who have it or who are in remission. Also, sadly, those who have yet to be diagnosed with the disease.

Really, it's all about finding a cure.

NBCF need your urgent help to fund research and, given it's now the afternoon of 31 May, I need to ask for it today!

If you have been personally affected by breast cancer in any way, please prevent anyone else having to go through the physical, psychological and financial effects by donating generously via https://s.eventarc.com/sponsor/view/24725/judith-cantor this afternoon.

According to their website, since its inception in October 1994, NBCF has allocated more than $67 million to breast cancer research.

I'd like to at least hit my target of $250 but, ideally, I'd like to smash it! 

By giving to this cause, you will be giving others more time with their loved ones and, as we all know, time is elusive and incredibly precious.

Heartfelt thanks for your support.

Check out my video clip before I started the 8km walk and photos during and afterwards with my family.

When one beach just isn't enough...

...walk to the next and the next. That's how Sunday's Hill to Harbour felt... expansive water views and sunny skies. Thanks for turning it on, Newcastle!

I joined over 2,000 people pounding the pavement in support of a number of charities. I chose WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service, Inc). It was one of those obvious choices for me. 

You see, while parts of Australia were washed away by floods, burnt down by fires, torn apart by a cyclone and earthquake over the last five or so months, of course I was concerned for all the people involved (some who I know personally), but I also worried about the animals that would've been stranded, orphaned or injured in the upheaval.

Are you like me? Is helping animals important to you?

If you are, and it is, please, please visit www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_4 and make a donation today. WIRES will put your money to very good use!

Friends of mine from Mission Beach, Far North Queensland (where cyclone Yasi hit) are constantly surprised at how animals and insects are going against their nature and approaching people for help - be it food or water or shelter or company. They must really be feeling it. And we should really step up and help them.

And for a breath of fresh beach air, check out my Hill to Harbour photos.

Running and sunning.

For those of you in Sydney, you'd know how hot last Saturday was. An unbelievable 41 degrees. Thankfully it wasn't quite that hot when I took part in the very first Sun Run from Dee Why to Manly at dawn. Only 24 degrees when I arrived and 28 degrees by the time I finished at about 8am.

It was a glorious morning though! Beautiful sunrise, energetic crowd of around 6,500 passionate people... and altogether a great way for me to start getting back into my monthly charity challenges in Sydney.

This month's fun run was in aid of Arthritis NSW and their inaugural Summer Challenge. I've kept my fundraising page active for a bit longer since the challenge was so early in the month. Please, if you can, support this veteran charity in providing education to the NSW community, and ongoing research into the causes of arthritis with the aim of finding a cure. All donations will be gladly accepted at www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_67.

Thanks for your consideration.

Check out some more Sun Run photos.

Next month: The Paddle Steamers take to the water for a 17.5km kayak for Kayak4Kids.

Where'd January go?

Partly into a time warp. Or so it was for me - both literally and metaphorically. The reason: I visited South Africa, my hometown, for six weeks after an absence of six years. And what a trip it was!

Not only did I get to visit friends and family and check out my old haunts, I got to meet new people and explore places I'd never visited when I lived in the country. I also visited the Western Cape projects of MaAfrikka Tikkun, the charity I was raising money for last month. 

I decided that, with the magnitude of disaster in Queensland (and now Far North Queensland), I would hold back on asking Australians to donate to my challenge as I am sure, if they were lucky enough to not be personally affected by the mayhem, they'd be giving to one of the many crisis funds that were created. Of course, I still asked South Africans to support this wonderful cause, and set up a South African fundraising page!

The fun run itself, 15km on 8 January in Jeffrey's Bay, was great. We got off to a bit of a slow start as the mist was so thick the organisers had to postpone the start by 30 minutes for safety reasons. While the event (a common occurence for the participants) may have lacked in numbers compared to big ones like Sydney's annual City2Surf, it didn't in lack in enthusiasm. Boy, these guys take their running/walking seriously!

Being about a month into my holiday, and having not exercised formally in that time, I decided I'd join the few walkers at the back of the pack. I discovered they weren't your average walkers - they were speed walkers! 

I spent the entire 15km way down the back with two lovely women who didn't want me to land up walking by myself, even though there were two guys in a tracking vehicle right behind me. They also said they were happy to take it easy as it was the first get-together of the year. Whether they were just saying this to make me feel better or not, it was very sweet of them to stick by my side. We finished in 135 minutes.

And, by the time we got back to the beach, it was still so misty you couldn't see the waves!

So what's next?

Well, I'm taking part in the very first Sun Run tomorrow from Dee Why to Manly. The 7km doesn't worry me too much (although it will, no doubt, on Sunday when I wake up), it's the 6.45am start that has me wincing just a little bit. Especially since it'll take me about an hour to get there. Ah well, it'll be beautiful once I get there, and it's for a good cause: Arthritis NSW's Summer Challenge.

Now there's a widespread disease - arthritis. Currently 1 in 5 Australians have it. I'm actually not sure if I know anyone who doesn't have 1 of the 120 types of it.

After having been bed-ridden for eight months years ago, I know what it's like to cope with chronic illness. Painful chronic illness. It's not pleasant. At all.

If you know what I'm talking about, please think about supporting my challenge and, through your donation, helping others learn more about their condition and how to make things easier. If you can spare a few dollars, please visit my fundraising page and do so: www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_67. It'll be active for a number of weeks.

Thanks.

Have a look at some more race day photos.

And, if you'd like, have a look at some of my photos from MaAfrika Tikkun's projects in the townships of Mfuleni and Delft. I'll be blogging about the experience shortly.

Very Mud-dy Run

I've been waiting with bated breath to blog last Saturday's Mud Run in the Glenworth Valley as I wanted to see whether the professional photographers at the event had managed to catch any of me doing the deed... wading through mud, that is! And they did. And it was worth the wait!

I completed the 10km track this year which, I must say, I far preferred to the shorter route I did in 2009. It gave me much more time to enjoy the feeling of being right in the bush and at times. completely alone. I saw butterflies and heard a number of those birds that sound like drops of water hitting a pool.

It also reminded me of two things: one in recent memory, one past. The silliness of it reminded me of my skydive back in April - the sheer 'I can't believe I'm doing this'. I grinned much the same afterwards too. 

The memory long past was actually of me at school. I must've been around 8 or 9 years old. I'd forgotten that I used to be good at cross country running and used to be selected for the school team! As I turned a literal corner last weekend, I seemed to turn a metaphoric one too. It's quite unbelievable for me to think that I used to be good at running! For someone who doesn't class herself as very good at, it or necessarily enjoys it, it was quite the revelation.

It was a poignant challenge for me in a completely different way too - the cancer way. 

I only found out very, very recently that a cousin of mine in South Africa has just had surgery to remove a brain tumour. And, if that wasn't bad enough, although it's been a long time coming, his sister is in and out of hospice in the UK. So, the fact the Mud Run was a fundraiser for the Cancer Council NSW was most fitting.

Sadly I'm sure I'm not alone when it comes to stories like these.

In a bid to improve people's chances and ultimately find a cure for cancer, I'd like to ask you, if at all possible, to make a donation to this cause. Now I know the timing probably couldn't be worse - with Christmas around the corner - but is there ever a good time to be terminally ill?

Help prevent family and friends from contracting this life-threatening disease by visiting www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_8.

Thanks so much.

Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful, safe and happy Festive Season. May 2011 be a wonderful year for all.

And if you want to see some of those particularly muddy photos... check them out!

How do you prepare for mud?

Wading, crawling, wallowing in it. I'm not sure there is much you can do other than to... just do it! Well, that's how I'm choosing to see things in the lead-up to tomorrow's Mud Run in Glenworth Valley. 

Did you see the picture of me from last year's event? It was messy, I can tell you.

Okay, I haven't had much choice in the matter when it comes to training - I've been sick since last Friday, on meds and only able to go for short, gentle walks. Doctor's orders. Bah humbug. I'm not about to give up though; I'm just relying on the work I've put in as part of my 12-week body transformation challenge to stand me in good stead!

I'll be attempting the 10km track this year and raising awareness and funds for Cancer Council NSW. Since around 1 in 2 people in this state alone will develop cancer in their lifetime - a staggering 39,000 people -  this is something that needs urgent attention.

If you, or someone you know, have had this awful disease, and you would like to help find a cure so no-one else has to go through debilitating treatment or pain - please visit www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_8 and make a donation today. What a wonderful Christmas present to give thousands of people, don't you think?

Thanks so much for your support, be it financial, physi!

I know what it's like to have your life put on hold by sickness, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I can only imagine what it would be like if it was life-threatening.

I'll leave the page up for the full month since the challenge is so early on.

Contrasts

On Sunday I ran/walked the 10km Run4Fun track at Sydney Olympic Park. 

It was a beautiful morning (read "a welcome break from the incessant rain we've been having  the past few weeks") - although mighty hot to be outdoors exercising in! My tomato-red face at the end could attest to that. Okay, it might have had something to do with my fitness level too.

The main thing that struck me during the fun run was just how farcical and/or poignant it was that I chose to fundraise for Centennial Park Foundation! 

If you haven't been to Sydney Olympic Park, it's a bit of a concrete jungle and, no matter how many trees or shrubs are planted on median strips, it still feels like a ghost town. And it's alienating.

A complete juxtaposition to Centennial Park really! And this is why I urge you to support my challenge this month. We cannot afford to lose our precious oases in this city. Or any city for that matter.

Please give generously to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy the natural environment and learn from it. Visit www.everydayhero.com.au/Judith_Cantor_8786 to make your donation.

Thanks so much.

And don't forget to check out my photos from race day here.