A Warrnambool mum who lost her son to a rare cancer is taking steps to help conquer cancer.
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Andrea Lyon’s son Aaron was diagnosed with ethmoidal rhabdomyosarcoma just before Christmas in 2015 and lost his battle just six months and three days later.
In memory of her son, Andrea is raising money for the One Day to Conquer Cancer walk around Albert Park on October 29.
“Grief can be so heavy, it can bring you down where you can barely function. Having something to focus on like the walk can give you another perspective that gets you through the day,” Mrs Lyon said.
“Knowing I am contributing to vital research for all cancers gets me out of bed each morning.”
While Andrea is doing the walk to honour Aaron, it is also part of her grief process.
“The first walk I did was early on after he passed but I think I found that easier than this year,” she said.
“The second year I think the shock’s gone, it’s reality and you really feel it. In the second year you’re not as numb.”
Despite this, Mrs Lyon is looking to the positives and draws on Aaron’s “wicked sense of humour” for inspiration.
“He always had us laughing. That’s why I still find a positive in every day,” she said. “Aaron taught us life is for living.”
Mrs Lyon will again join the Laughter with Cancer team, which includes a number of people Aaron met while he was receiving treatment at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne.
“We’ve got a team together and most of us all believe in laughing no matter what,” Mrs Lyon said.
She has already raised $1380 towards this year’s walk, mainly through trivia nights held at The Seanachi.
“I can’t get over the support and generosity of our community,” she said.
Mrs Lyon said that participating in the walk, even though Aaron didn’t survive his cancer battle, was an uplifting experience. “It’s like a big family,” she said.
While Aaron’s cancer was very rare, Mrs Lyon said she had met many other families at Peter Mac with Sarcoma.
She said if the money she raised could save just one family from experiencing what her family went through, it was worth it.
“There’s so many fundraisers for cancer, but it’s all needed,” Mrs Lyon said.
And the more money that was raised, the more that could be directed to the rare cancers like sarcoma, she said.
She also wants to encourage early detection.
“If you think something’s not right, get it checked,” she said. “I just want to make a difference.”