Tom Rickerby knows only too well the power of medical research – he credits it with giving his 60-year-old mother Penny an extra year of life as she battled the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma, which allowed her to meet her new grand-daughter before she died.
"The research and trials funded by the centre gave mum an extra 12 months with us that we may not have had otherwise and gave her the chance to meet our youngest-born daughter."
Tom Rickerby
The Craigie father-of-two will have Penny front of mind when he sets off tomorrow to walk the Cape to Cape Track in Western Australia's South West to raise vital funds for the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases at The University of Western Australia, where his mum took part in trials.
He hopes to walk the complete Cape to Cape trek along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, between the lighthouses of Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste, before continuing past Bunker Bay to finish at Penny's resting place in Eagle Bay. Mr Rickerby plans to complete the 132km trek in four days and has already raised more than $15,000.
"The centre is currently undertaking ground-breaking research into asbestos-related diseases, specifically mesothelioma, as well as a number of clinical trials like the ones mum was a part of," Mr Rickerby said.
"The research and trials funded by the centre gave mum an extra 12 months with us that we may not have had otherwise and gave her the chance to meet our youngest-born daughter, Elsie."
He said 50 years after living in the asbestos mining town of Wittenoom, Penny contracted mesothelioma and lost her short battle a few weeks after her 60th birthday in August last year.
"My initial goal was to raise $10,000 which would cover the cost of one mesothelioma patient, just like mum, to be a part of a new, world-first clinical trial to improve the combined chemoimmunotherapy using non-invasive imaging," he said.
"With the funds already raised by my incredible support network, it would be amazing to get close to the $20,000 mark, with my hope that this research can one day help find a cure for this devastating disease so that other families across the world don't have to experience the loss we suffered."
The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases' Scientific Director, Professor Jenette Creaney, applauded Mr Rickerby for his commitment to improve the lives of people affected by asbestos-related disease.
"This is a fabulous, community-driven fundraising campaign to support our research efforts, as we work to combat this cancer on several fronts: chasing earlier and more accurate diagnosis; better treatments; and one day a vaccine against the disease," Professor Creaney said.
Mr Rickerby, 33, who also has a four-year-old son Mitchell with wife Jess, said Penny had always been someone who gave to the community, and he wanted to do the same in her memory. To support the campaign, click here.
