WOW - What An Amazing Challenge

I think all of us at some time or other set ourselves a big task that will offer us a bit of a challenge, something that will motivate us. It may be an activity that will test us and ask us to lift our game, to try a bit harder to become the person that we know is hiding somewhere deep inside us. This is the part of us that dares us to get out there and do something to make a difference to the ones we love and our communities.

Sue Kennedy (support), Karen Crutchlow and Jo James (PWP Steering Committee members)

Well, our PWP Steering Committee member, co-facilitator, program co-creator, friend and all-round champion Karen Crutchlow really knows how to take that idea to the next level… the 3,700+ kilometre level!

Why? Because she has a fire in her belly about cancer, particularly brain cancer, and the devastating effect that it has on families and communities. She knows first-hand that every bit of awareness, every bit of research and every bit of support hold the key to changing the outcomes that so many in our community experience.

We in the mental health arena know just how crucially important prevention and early intervention are, and it is exactly the same in the cancer world. Through “Willpower on Wheels” (WOW), Karen is raising money for the fantastic Dr Charlie Teo brain cancer research foundation to support its fabulous research into a disease that is galloping through our community.

One person dies in Australia every 6 hours from brain cancer, which equates to 1,456 people per year. Tragically, this type of cancer kills more children than any other disease and it is responsible for more deaths in people under 40 than any other cancer. In this region, like any other region, it’s a story too often repeated.

There is a rule of thumb that for every person who dies there will be at least 100 of us left behind grieving. That’s a whopping 145,600 people per year for brain cancer alone.

As her ride is getting closer to home, it was wonderful to travel out to Narrogin last week to catch up with her and her support crew Sue to witness this ride first-hand. To put some perspective on this staggering achievement, she is riding the equivalent of just short of the distance from Sydney to Perth, and in just a little over 6 weeks!

Those of us who know Karen know that she has a habit of quietly achieving amazing feats, and this ride is no exception. We also know that Karen is a huge contributor to our community with her work supporting people touched by cancer and, here at PWP, with her passion for our early intervention programs Hello To Me (for adults) and Mind-Craft (for children), while putting her hand up for everything else we do. Karen Crutchlow and Genevieve Morrissey (PWP Coordinator)

We at PWP would love our supporters to give a little back to Karen by taking a look at the WOW website (willpoweronwheels.com.au) and, if you haven’t already donated, to do so now. Every dollar Karen raises will go directly to the Charlie Teo Foundation to help and encourage them to continue their amazing research, which in turn will no doubt filter down into our community somewhere in the future.

Thank you, Karen, we are blessed to have you as part of our team.