Personal message

Hey everyone! Many of you know me as Marco, husband to the beautiful Jeanine and dad to two gorgeous girls, Amelia and Anabelle. We live in Melbourne; Australia and I am currently doing a 10 day cycle challenge with two of my mates in the Gippsland region. We are cycling with our gear from Melbourne to Bairnsdale via Cowes and Bemm River which totals an estimate distance of 750km.

This journey has proved to be quite challenging, and it instantly flooded my heart and mind with the challenges my little nephew, Hanno Lewis, had to endure while fighting a very unfair opponent, cancer.

Hanno was a very happy and healthy little boy who met all his milestones. He had a healthy appetite and loved all the food his mommy cooked for him. He loved nature, the outdoors, and his pets. He had never been on antibiotics and honestly thrived. Sadly, in 2013 at the age of two and a half, Hanno was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive childhood cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma stage 4. After a few surgeries including a Thoracotomy and Craniotomy, chemo and radiation, my little nephew’s body grew very tired. He drew his last breath three days before his 4th birthday and his little brother was only five weeks old. It left us all broken…. Still today, 7 years later, Hanno is engraved in our hearts. We miss him dearly, but his legacy lives on…..

My sister Nadia, who still resides in South Africa, has made it her mission to help children diagnosed with cancer. Even though Hanno was lucky enough to be treated at private healthcare facilities, most children in South Africa are treated in the government hospitals. Many children and their families live in shacks and are in dire need of the basic necessities like food and clothing. Nadia joined a small NGO called Rainbows and Smiles who assist children diagnosed with cancer.

Rainbows and Smiles was founded 10 years ago by Bonita Suckling, mommy to Jed Brady Thomas. Jed, the only child of Bonni, was diagnosed with an Anaplastic Astrocytoma and sadly died in July 2011 from this horrible monster. These two ladies are beyond passionate about their cause. They go where no-one goes, they sit at the besides of dying children, they comfort mommies, they try and make a difference every single day. Rainbows and Smiles is their labour of love. Tap on this link to see what they get up to on a daily basis Rainbows and Smiles | Facebook

It would be greatly appreciated if you could sponsor a little something towards their cause. These children need us, they cant fight cancer alone!

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