Why Redkite?
NWSCC member Belinda Latimore had a very personal brush with childhood cancer. In 2013 her then 10 year old nephew Manning was diagnosed with a highly malignant sarcoma the size of a coke can, that was growing from his rib into his chest space. Chemotherapy failed to help and the outlook was grim. Radiotherapy would leave him with grave side effects including a damaged heart and spinal cord and surgery had unknown risks. Ultimately the family chose to attempt surgery and after 11 hours with three ribs removed and most of his left lung the cancer was cut free. 18 months on Manning is still under close observation but remains cancer free, happy and attending school.
Herself a nurse, Belinda had a burning desire to give back and proposed a daring fundraiser. She and two friends Natalie and Jane (also nurses) would ride 300ks in three days from Sydney to Forster, finishing at Manning Park. 3 Girls 3 Days 300ks was an extraordinary success raising $12,000 for The Children's Hospital at Westmead. Belinda explains why the gruelling ride was worth it. "Seeing what my sister and her family were going through made me feel powerless and i was determined to turn that around. The joy and satisfaction of reaching our financial goal was reward enough but the camaraderie and friendship that was forged on the road was what got us over the line and motivated us to do it again."
3 Days 300ks
In order to open the ride to more participants, Belinda went to her club and for 2017 NWSCC generously agreed to support this ride as it's primary fundraising event offering administrative support, expertise for riders on the road and many eager participants. They are hoping to make it an annual fundraiser.
The Bottom Line is that NWSCC is keen to make this ride a huge success for Redkite and also for its members who will gain so much from the experience. We would like to thank our generous sponsors for coming on board and supporting our ride. Secure Parking, RT Screen Printing, Graphic Designs, Onebody, Sky News Australia, Jetblack Cycling, The Odd Spoke and Sensory Solutions have all come on board. We are sincerely thankful for your time and appreciate any gift you could give to help this valuable charity.