Our local legend, brain cancer researcher Jacob Byrne, has crossed the finish line of his final marathon, completing his Big Run for Little Brains - 30 marathons in 30 days, covering 1266km across Perth’s local government areas.
Jacob was joined by four families of children with cancer, including survivors, as he finished across The Kids’ Bridge at Perth Children’s Hospital. In an emotional moment, childhood brain cancer survivor Nickolai stepped out of his wheelchair - used due to the lasting effects of his treatment - to walk across the finish line with Jacob.
“It was surreal, and a great privilege to come across with children who’ve been through brain cancer treatment and their families. The main reason why I've done this is for the families here. This is why we do it," said Jacob.
The crowd was large and loud, with staff, families and supporters cheering Jacob on.
"It was overwhelming. I got pretty emotional coming down the bridge. It's been a real team effort, it's not just me. To have everyone here that supported me along the journey was amazing," he said.
Jacob’s body has taken a beating: torn achilles, chest pain that led to a hospital visit, strained chest muscles, and severe blisters. But he kept going.
“I'm a physical and mental wreck at the moment, but it's really nothing compared to what the families and kids have to go through."
Coming up on four years in remission, Nickolai and his dad Nathan are passionate about supporting fundraising for research because of what they've lived through.
"This is a terrible terrible disease," said Nickolai.
“With childhood brain cancer, it's not a sprint, it's not a run. It's a marathon. And it's marathon after marathon. If we can find less toxic treatments, maybe kids won’t have to run so many,” said Nathan.
Jacob has raised nearly $85,000, with hopes of reaching $100,000.
While his Big Run is over, the race to find better treatments continues. Our Brain Tumour Research team, and broader Cancer Centre, are working hard to make that happen.
Donations are still open if you'd like to congratulate Jacob on this massive accomplishment.
