Driven by the sudden loss of her husband to a rare and aggressive blood cancer, Lyn Gilmour is stepping up to help a Warrnambool gym raise funds for leukaemia research.
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Despite being diagnosed with a stage four melanoma herself, Mrs Gilmour goes to the gym two days a week and said the fundraiser was a good opportunity for the community to get involved.
While holidaying in Canada together in 2008, Mrs Gilmour's husband Norman became suddenly ill.
But it wasn't until they arrived home a few days later he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
He was admitted to Geelong hospital but he passed away about three weeks later.
"It was just so vicious," Mrs Gilmour said.
"It's not always insidious and feeling unwell for weeks, it can be quite abrupt.
"It was the suddenness of it that threw me the most. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye."
Since then, Mrs Gilmour has done what she can to raise awareness around blood cancers in the hope others don't have to go through what they went through.
"It's been nearly 16 years and I still have bad days," she said.
Mrs Gilmour has done immunotherapy to treat her melanoma and is now in remission.
As well as going to the gym she also strength trains at the Archie Graham Centre two days a week.
"I'm enjoying my life as long as I have it," she said.
On March 2, 2024, Body Blitzer Fitness Center will run a bootcamp to raise money for the Rebecca Gumley Blood Cancer Research Fund.
Gym owner Josh Suringa said it had received a good response to the fundraiser so far, but hoped more people would get involved.
Sophia Baker
Journalist at The Warrnambool Standard covering general news from the south-west Victoria area. Email: sophia.baker@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Journalist at The Warrnambool Standard covering general news from the south-west Victoria area. Email: sophia.baker@austcommunitymedia.com.au
