"Cause I Can" Judith Cantor's fundraising projects

Kiss goodbye to MS

If ever you were going to wear red lipstick, today's the day! It's World MS Day and MS Australia are encouraging ever to join the celebration by adding a splash of red lipstick to their pouts.

In further support of this wonderful cause, I'll be walking 9km on 6 June for the 2010 MS Walk in the Sydney CBD.

I was first confronted with the effects of MS when a friend of mine was diagnosed with the disease in her early thirties (which is the typical age of detection). The irony of it all was that I met her en route to run the 14km City to Surf only two years before!

She went through a rollercoaster ride of emotions - paralysed by the fear that she may be paralysed by the disease - and pain.

Thankfully her family and friends rallied around her, and she could afford incredibly expensive treatment.

I am pleased to report that she is now in remission and has since got married and is expecting her first child in a couple of months!

But not everyone is as lucky as her, and it is something that she will always need to be vigilant about. There is no known cause or cure for Mutilple Sclerosis.

Can you help?

Please sponsor my walk so that researchers can continue their work into the causes of MS and hopefully find a cure. Visit http://register.mswalk.org.au/MS-Walk-and-Fun-Run-Sydney/judithcantor and give whatever you can spare. All donations will be greatly appreciated, and any over $2 are tax deductible.

Thanks so much.

It was fabulous, dahling!

I spent last Saturday morning surrounded by a rather motley crew - transvestites, drag kings, members of the GLBT community and queer-friendly folk - for the Little Black Dress Run in aid of Camp Goodtime for children living with HIV Aids.

We didn't as much run the 4km track around Centennial Park as sashay in a taking-in-the-scenery and basking-in-the-spectacle kind of way. 

We had a number of stops for photo opportunities including taking over the Moonlight Cinema grounds (which felt a little like an alternate scene from "O brother, where art thou" [see below]).

Hostess Joyce Maynge kept the crowd in stitches with her warm-up exercises and herding skills, and embodied the spirit of all things Mardi Gras. 

A very large cheque for $17,000 was presented to the representative from Sydney Children's Hospital - Paediatric HIV Service which will be extremely useful in putting together the next Camp Goodtime which runs in six weeks' time.

Unfortunately the size of the donation fell way short of last year's effort but there's still time to rectify that! Visit www.gofundraise.com.au/Cantorj to support the Camp.

A big 'thanks' to those who have already given so generously.

Mud for breakfast

Tomorrow is Mud Run day! I look forward to it with a healthy dose of trepidation and the excitement of a child on Christmas morn or a dog about to be given a bone.

If you can, please support my charity of choice for this whacky event - RSPCA NSW - and let others know about it too?

Let's make sure all dogs in NSW have caring owners to give them bones... or at least shelter and a warm, snug bed!

To make sure you are one of the first to see photographic evidence of me in all my mud-encrusted glory, visit www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_6 and leave your Festive Season gift :)

Thanks so much!

Changing of the guard

As cause of the mo' Movember wraps up its annual fundraising and awareness initiative, it's time to focus on matters of mo' frivolity - Saturday's Mud Run!

Well, it may be more so for me as I scale obstacles and wade through that final 20m pit of slime - or even for the spectators holding out for me to *slamdunk* into into the mud or lose items of clothing - but not so for the abandonned or injured animals that find their way to the RSPCA NSW.

As we rapidly near Silly Season and carols and shopping centre Santas are well and truly overstepping their welcome, the prospects for these animals tend to get worse and worse. Not only are more pets neglected because people are focusing on time with their loved ones and heading on holiday, but far fewer people visit the shelters to adopt new furry friends who quietly sit on death row with big, sad eyes.

Please help me save a few by making a donation to this worthy charity. Visit www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_6 as a matter of urgency. And remember: all donations of $2 and above are tax deductible - and whatever you can spare counts!

Also, if you can, please forward this web address to others so they can join our mission?

Many thanks.

Rehabilitated

Sunday's Run4Fun was a heartening event.

Not only did 6,005 participants brave the foul weather, but a number of them were patients of one of the three major children's hospitals - Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick and Westmead, and the John Hunter hospital in Newcastle.

I was humbled to run alongside kids being pushed in wheelchairs, others who had obviously been through one or more rounds of chemotherapy, and families proudly wearing branded gear in support of the hospital that had helped them and their loved ones.

I also felt very lucky. Lucky to be able. Lucky to be part of a community that cares. Lucky to spend a Sunday morning in Sydney bushland.

And lucky to have had wonderful financial and emotional support.

Thank you for helping me spread joy, acceptance and understanding!

Photos: Dad and son share a family day for Sydney Children's Hospital Westmead (top), Inspiration along the way (middle), the big finish at Acer Stadium (bottom)

A celebration of life!

I've been doing some research. Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, admits over 15,000 little patients every year and provides over 290,000 instances of care through emergency, outpatient and outreach services. Now that's great work, wouldn't you agree?

Can you imagine being the most important person, second to Mum and Dad, to allay the fears of a sick child? To have to perform necessary medical procedures that may hurt at the same time as 'still being friends'? To make a scary and yucky time seem less scary and yucky?

Can you imagine being able to "fix" a problem that allows a child to be well and happy and feel just like everyone else?

It must be so rewarding. And it's so necessary.

I'll be running/walking/hobbling over the line at Sunday's Run4Fun at the Acer Arena in aid of Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick. Please help me help them ensure that all children who need care get it?

Visit www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_2 today and celebrate each child's health and happiness in a big way!

And if you can, please ask others to do the same? Let's aim for a ward full of smiling faces?

Thank you.

Stolen time

The last time I checked it was Sunday a week ago! I'm not quite sure where it went...

This Sunday, yes, after only six more sleeps, is the inaugural Run4Fun - 10km track at Homebush.

I'll be doing my impression of someone running and raising money for the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick at the same time. I have a feeling said impression may resemble one of John Cleese's funny walks!

Please support me?

The Children's Hospital has a special unit for kids with cancer and blood disorders. Although it's difficult for me to imagine what it would be like to have a child with such a serious illness, I know I'd be able to rely on the Hospital for support, care and information if I did. Peace of mind like that must be immeasurable to a parent in distress.

If someone close to you, or not so close to you, has benefited from the Sydney Children's Hospital, please dig as deep as you can and make a donation at: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_2

And if you have been fortunate and no-one you know has needed their services, feel free to show your gratitude too.

I've set my target at $500. Let's smash it?

And come along and have a laugh at my expense on the day!

Strides in the rain

A sizeable crowd of Cystic Fibrosis NSW supporters gathered at Rodd Park this morning to take part in the Great Strides Walkathon.

Walkers, runners, cyclists and riders of scooters and strollers took to the 7km Bay Run route at 10am to raise awareness and funds for research into Cystic Fibrosis.

The skies were ominous from the very beginning.

At about 5km things came a little undone as the heavens opened turning the event into something of a wet t-shirt competition - and trust me to wear white! We all finished, and although we may have been decidedly soggier than when we started, our sprits were high.

Thank you so much for your support - both financial and emotional. It made such a difference as I powered the track! 

Pictured below: Moody skies, Birkenhead Point from Iron Cove Bridge, At the finish with Cystic Fibrosis NSW CEO Helen Griffiths.

The pointy end

Great Strides is this Sunday! Yikes!

To help me feel the love while I walk the 7km track, please make your donation today?

We should all be able to live full, productive lives without thought but not all things are created equal. Cystic Fibrosis NSW helps thousands of people with CF manage their debilitating condition daily.

To show your support, visit www.mycause.com.au/JudithCantorfundraisingpage - together we can make a difference.

Gratitude.

Countdown

Well, it's almost a week until Great Strides so it's time to step up my training regime and raise some dosh!

I'll be trying out the latest Latin dance craze Zumba tomorrow and if I like it, which I suspect I will, I'll be doing a couple more classes in it during the week. That's on top of two Hatha classes and, you guessed it, a walk from Bondi to Bronte. And just in case you thought I'd been slacking today, I've walked from Surry Hills to Paddington to Centennial Park and back - a mere 6km.

My fundraising target for Cystic Fibrosis is $500 and I've only managed to raise $100 so far! Please help me boost this total by giving as much as you can. All donations will be gratefully accepted, and any over $2 are tax deductible.

Please also forward my fundraising link -www.mycause.com.au/JudithCantorfundraisingpage - to any friends, family and colleagues who may be interested in supporting this worth cause too.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!