By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
NOT rain, nor hail or even cancer… nothing will stop Hampton Park resident Graeme Sissing from raising funds to conquer cancer and cycling in the two day fundraiser.
“I’ve been riding in the event for three consecutive years and I have people who jump on board and donate each year as well as organising fundraising events,” he said.
After beating prostate and bladder cancer in 2011 Mr Sissing was diagnosed with a second bout of bladder cancer in 2014 but conquered the 200 kilometre ride despite it all.
“It’s not gonna get me down, you can’t let it, I don’t stop training I really look forward to it, the week after the ride I’m back on the road training,” he said.
After many birthdays dampened by cancer Mr Sissing was given the all clear on Tuesday 10 March 2015 and will be riding in the Melbourne and Brisbane events this year.
All registered participants must raise at least $2500 individually before the ride.
“I’m nearly at $2500 for the Melbourne ride, but still have about $2000 to go for Brisbane before mid-August,” he said.
Mr Sissing’s team of 35 is called In Loving Memory and has raised more than $156,000 over the past three years.
“It gets bigger every year and were not gonna stop until this whole thing has gone, until we’ve got a cure,” Mr Sissing said.
“I really hope I can ride in the last ride to conquer cancer, if I’m in the last ride that means we’ve conquered this thing,” he said.
Mr Sissing’s favourite sign off is ‘keep smiling’ and he likes to remind himself and others why he rides.
“I was out in the rain riding one weekend and a lot of people had asked me if I was going to train and what if it rains, I said ‘then you get wet – that’s the least of my worries’.”
Mr Sissing said it didn’t just rain that weekend, it hailed.
“Rain was beating down on my face, my legs were burning, hail was bouncing off my helmet and I thought why am I doing this, then I remembered why,” he said.
The Melbourne ride is Australia’s largest cancer cycling fundraising event and have raised more than $14.5 million for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre over three years.
To help Graeme Sissing reach his goal for the Brisbane ride visit www.conquercancer.org.au.
