When Rutherglen student Sheila Smith found out her best friend had brain cancer, she combined their mutual love of puns and elephants to come up with a way to help.
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The 22-year-old physiotherapy student will be “Riding for a Wheelie Good Cause” to raise money for brain cancer support and research.
Ms Smith said she was shocked when she was told her friend Tessa Calder, 21, from Sydney had been diagnosed with the illness.
With more than 600 kilometres separating them, she said she needed to find a way to stay connected.
“I was tossing around ideas of what I could do because I felt a bit useless sitting around while she was going through this,” Ms Smith said.
“I wanted to set a challenge for myself which would raise money for brain cancer.”
With Alexandra Sutherland by her side, Ms Smith will ride to Sydney in December to raise awareness and money for two charities.
She said she hopes the challenge would give their friend up north something positive to look forward to.
“When I first found out, I couldn’t understand how something like this could happen to someone like Tessa,” Ms Smith said.
“It didn’t hit me for a while because I couldn’t be there to see how sick she was.
“She is one of my fittest and healthiest friends and she is an amazing person.
“I seems unfair and I just want her to get better.”
The money raised will go to the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation and the NELUNE foundation which has helped Ms Calder with transport needs.
Ms Smith had never owned a road bike until earlier this year, but said she was trying to clock-up as many kilometres as she could before she pedals into action.
“It’s been quite amazing to see how people respond when you decide to do something like this,” she said.
“The biggest thing has been strangers who don’t know either of us, but have contacted me and donated because they have been through something similar.
“One lady had lost her brother-in-law to brain cancer and she donated more than $1000, it blew me away.”
To support the ride contact Ms Smith at ridingforawheeliegoodcause@gmail.com or search it on Facebook.
