Last year Bunbury local Emma White was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer – she was just 25 years old.
Now, after undergoing intensive cancer treatment including a double mastectomy and chemotherapy, she’s motivating others to support an organisation which has played an important role in her experience.
Ms White has been named the Ambassador of the 2016 SolarisCare Red Sky Ride and will join 20 riders along the 1,000 km journey throughout regional Western Australia in late February.
SolarisCare is a Western Australia-founded not-for-profit which provides complementary therapies to people navigating cancer treatment. On a yearly basis it provides more than 9,000 therapies to patients throughout Western Australia – including Ms White.
“SolarisCare has played a huge part in making my experience with cancer so much more bearable. It gave me a safe place to relax, unwind and escape,” Ms White said.
“I was honoured to be asked to be the SolarisCare Red Sky Ride Ambassador for 2016.
“From this role I hope to spread the good work of SolarisCare to lots more patients so that their cancer experience can be made that much easier by SolarisCare and the beautiful staff and volunteers there.”
The February Red Sky Ride marks the ninth year since the event’s inception. Riders will travel for eight days from Perth throughout regional Western Australia visiting Bunbury, Dunsborough, Augusta, Bridgetown, Wagin and York – covering a total of 1,000 kilometres.
The ride is the main source of funding for SolarisCare with this year’s fundraising target set at $400,000.
Chief executive David Edwards said stories like Ms White’s reinforced the importance of the services SolarisCare delivers.
“To be able to help someone manage cancer treatment is a great honour and we are dedicated to continuing to provide all our services free of charge,” Mr Edwards said.
“We are extremely pleased to have Emma join us as our Ambassador for the 2016 Red Sky Ride.”
Emma will also be speaking at the SolarisCare Red Sky Gala Dinner held on February 12th.
Current sponsors of the SolarisCare Red Sky Ride 2016 include Brierty, Hall and Wilcox, My Flex Health Group, Zenith Insurance Services, Margaret River Natural Spring Water, Neometals and Perth Stitchings.
