MORE than 600 Australian children are diagnosed with cancer ever year and, on average, three die every week.
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That’s why local man, Robbie Noordzy, has decided to take part in the Great Cycle Challenge throughout the month of October to support children with cancer.
Recently, Mr Noordzy was scrolling through Facebook when he saw a sponsored link promoting the Great Cycle Challenge.
“Coincidently I’d just bought a spin bike because I want to lose weight, so I decided to join both and register for the challenge,” he said.
Mr Noordzy said not only was it a good excuse to put the spin bike into use, but an opportunity to support something with a cause.
“I’ve got three children of my own, including one with special needs, so I know what it is like to need help and know how great it is to receive it,” he said.
During the month of October, everyone around Australia is encouraged to participate in the challenge to raise money for children’s cancer research.
“You can either ride your bike or do it indoors. I’ll be recording the amount of kilometres per day I do throughout the whole month. My goal is to do 300 kilometres and lose 10 kilograms,” he said.
As Mr Noordzy has a full-time job and three children, he hasn’t had much time to fundraise prior to the event, but hoped to raise around $500.
“I’ve just been promoting the cause through my Facebook. My brother Daniel, who does a lot of cycle challenges for charity and was another inspiration, donated $100 so I have already raised $200,” he said.
He encouraged other locals to either donate their money to his challenge, or join him to make a strong, Moree team.
“While it doesn’t have any immediate benefit locally a lot of us do have children and grandchildren and the work the Great Cycle Challenge is doing to discovering how to prevent or treat birth defects and diseases such as cancer, epilepsy, and a range of genetic disorders will ultimately be good for all of us,” Mr Noordzy said.
Event manager, Greg Johnson, said the challenge was a fantastic way for everyday Australians to undertake a fun, personal challenge while raising funds that are urgently needed for research on all types of cancers in children.
“Anyone can take part in the challenge with the event’s easy-to-use GPS mobile application able to track and record distance of participants in capital cities and regional areas alike,” Mr Johnson said.
If you would like to donate to Mr Noordzy visit www.greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/RobbieNoordzy or if you would like to join him and create a Moree team, contact him via the Facebook open group Great Cycle Challenge – Moree.