Jane Broadhead knows a thing or two about never giving up.
Over the last twelve years, she’s rallied her community to raise funds for vital cancer research after losing her grandpa to bowel cancer. From Jane’s Walk for a Cure treks to hosting the Paint the Gong Red Ball, there’s no stopping Jane! She has joined her team on successful treks through New Zealand’s North Island, Larapinta, Mt Kosciuszko, Tasmania's East Coast and the Amalfi Coast.
In 2020, Jane and her team trekked around the North Island of New Zealand:
“We had fifteen people join our New Zealand trip, with five of them new to Jane’s Walk For a Cure. All of them had their own experiences with loved ones having cancer and it was amazing to see every single person hit their fundraising targets,” says Jane. “They all put in a hundred and ten per cent and the camaraderie on the trip was outstanding.”
“Completing the trek gave everyone a massive sense of achievement, especially since there were days that we trekked for many kilometres. Our longest walk was on the last day - we did 21kms and I was an emotional wreck since this was the first walk I’ve done since I hurt my foot.”
Jane and the team were blown away by the support they received from people back home, as well as those they met along the way.
“We were surprised by the generosity of so many New Zealanders once they heard we were doing the trek to support cancer research,” says Jane. “So many businesses and transport services donated our fees back to us or gave us discounted rates because they wanted us to raise as much as we could. Their responses were unbelievable as so many people were interested in what we were doing and where the money was going.”
“Even when we were taking photos and asking help from whoever was on the road, they would tell us their stories about their own cancer experiences and it was quite humbling. There were times where my foot blew up quite large on the trip and I had to push through, but hearing their stories was a reminder of why we were there.”
Since Jane’s Walk for A Cure started, the team have raised over $200,000 but for Jane, more still needs to be done.
“We need to support cancer researchers because there are still too many people being diagnosed. Originally, my goal was to get to $100,000 and raise enough money to support a year of research. That target has changed, and I’ll keep fundraising until I can’t do it anymore or until there is finally a cure.”
Thank you to Jane and the Jane’s Walk for A Cure team for their inspiring dedication to helping our brightest cancer researchers find a cure.
