By BRIDGET COOK
SINCE Melissa Kolbeck decided to walk from Melbourne to Sydney in memory of a little boy she never met, she has been called many things including mad.
But that doesn’t bother the Berwick resident as that word has a special meaning to her and epitomises what she is doing – Making a Difference (MAD).
And that is exactly what she plans to do when she sets off on her 38-day, 1040 kilometre journey from her home to Sydney starting on 16 April next year.
The walk – Touched by Talin – will be in memory of a six-year-old boy who died of a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), which is a type of brain tumour.
Ms Kolbeck said the aim of the walk was to raise awareness about DIPG while also supporting two charities, The Cure Starts Now and Bear Cottage.
Ms Kolbeck said while she never met Talin and his family, who lived in NSW, she was touched by his story which she came across on Facebook.
“I came across his story on Facebook, and went back to the start of his journey that his parents had been sharing,” she said.
“I was really touched by it and began following it.
“Just reading his story affected me as a mother. He was the same age group as my daughter and just looking at some of his gorgeous photos it reminded me of my son.
“To see him go from a healthy and happy little boy, to his parents having to bury him just 13 weeks after being diagnosed, broke my heart.
“As I read all the post from both parents, I could feel the helplessness and heartbreak in their words.
“I remember going straight into my children’s rooms and giving them both a kiss while they slept, and standing there looking at them, feeling so thankful they were OK, yet Talin’s family were preparing to say goodbye to their little boy.”
On 17 July last year, Talin passed away and Ms Kolbeck decided to fly to Sydney to attend the public memorials in Sydney where she met both of Talin’s parents.
When she returned, she said she wanted to do something that would make a difference and after brainstorming with her family, came up with the idea to walk from Melbourne to Sydney.
“I wanted to do something that was going to have a real impact and that will make a difference,” she said.
“People think it’s a bit weird given that Talin was a complete stranger to me, but I’ve never been impacted by someone so much before.”
Ms Kolbeck said she had been busy planning the walk over the past months and had secured sponsorship and started putting together a support crew.
She said she needed a lot more support and urged the community to help in any way they could.
“I need assistance in many ways including more support crew, donations that can help with the walk like food vouchers, some expenses covered as well as donations to the charities I’m supporting in this,” she said.
“I would appreciate any assistance I can get.”
To find out more about the walk, make a donation or get in contact with Ms Kolbeck visit www.touchedbytalin.com or search ’Touched by Talin’ on Facebook.
