A ride for my Dad
NeuRA volunteer Lizzi Mallett explains why she decided to participate in the Memory Cycle to Cambodia in March 2015 and why fundraising for NeuRA’s research is so important to her.
Six years ago my family and I said goodbye to my dad, John Mallett, as he slipped away from our world after suffering from the rapidly progressing motor neurone disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia for five short years. His battle with these awful diseases started when I was 15 and he was only 58. He lived life each day as if it was his last. His thirst for life took us on a wild journey and he loved every second of it. It is because of my dad that I have decided to dedicate my life to supporting and helping NeuRA. At the beginning of the year I moved to Sydney from Perth and began volunteering with NeuRA’s Foundation team.
When the opportunity for the Memory Cycle came up, I thought that there was no way someone like me, who doesn’t cycle regularly, could do a challenge like this. We would be cycling from Vietnam to Cambodia, and I would have to fundraise a minimum of $3,500 while living on the other side of the country from my entire support network. However, my mother reminded me of my dad’s determination in life and how he purchased a bike when he was ill but could not ride it. He taught me that if I put my mind to something, that I could achieve anything! And by *anything*, I mean the time he sneakily planned a trip from Perth to Hampton Island all on his own when he had already lost the ability to speak and swallow – however, that’s a story for another time. With this determination in mind, I thought, ‘yes, I can do this, I’ll cycle for my dad’. After all, Dad was the one who taught me how to ride a bike and we used to do everything together. This is something he would like to have done and if he was still here with us today, I’m sure he would have signed up for the challenge too. So I signed up and started my fundraising page. Almost instantly, thanks to social media, I raised $1,000 in under a week. Whoa!! Who knew I could do that. I am extremely close to reaching my minimum fundraising goal. See, my dad was right! The mind works wonders; you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it. The Memory Cycle is the best way to fundraise for NeuRA as I get to travel, meet new people, do really cool things with the Inspired Adventurers, and work out, all at the same time.
I had an unbelievably close bond with my dad and it breaks my heart seeing people suffering from neurological diseases just like he did. If you have a desire to help NeuRA and make a difference to so many families suffering from the illnesses that NeuRA researches, then please donate or sign up for Memory Cycle and ride in Cambodia with me. We will have an absolute ball! If you would like to contribute and cannot join the cycle team (even though you really want to!) then you are more than welcome to give a little donation on my fundraising page, and follow my journey on my blog.
I hope to see your pretty little faces on NeuRA’s Memory Cycle team; otherwise, we appreciate every little cent that comes our way. NeuRA is making a huge difference to so many people’s lives, including my own family. Your donation will help NeuRA conquer neurological disease one step at a time.