Every year Heather Hawkins challenges herself with a physical pursuit from running a marathon in the North Pole to the Sahara Desert. She has even completed a 522km ultra-running race from Alice Springs to Uluru in over 40-degree heat for ten days to cross the line as the second female overall.
She has supported Can Tooers to achieve their goals from completing the New York Marathon to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. You can join Heather for Can Too's Run into Spring program. The 14-week program will prepare you to run a 10km or half marathon in a supportive group training environment. By taking part you can reduce your risk of cancer and fundraise for Australian cancer research.
Supporting cancer research is close to Heather's heart as she is an ovarian cancer survivor.
Read her My Letter to the Younger Me to see how her cancer diagnosis spurred her on to achieve things she never thought possible.
My Letter to the Younger Me - Heather Hawkins
Dear Heather,
Don’t be frightened, I know you’re feeling overwhelmed by the shocking news that you have cancer, but hang in there. Trust that this time in your life will become a positive turning point.
You notice changes in your body at age 41, from becoming full quickly after eating small meals, to dramatic abdominal swelling where you couldn’t fit into your favourite red skirt that you’d worn two days previously.
You did the right thing to listen to your intuition which told you that something was wrong and to see your doctor. This was backed up from your skills and knowledge learnt from your earlier days practicing nursing. You now encourage others to go see their doctor if something doesn’t feel right.
Your instinct will continue to guide you in the right direction where you will not only heal but become stronger. You will find pursuits that you love and achieve things you never dreamt you were capable of. Read more.
