In November 2014, Kate McInerny will be putting one foot in front of the other as she ascends towards the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Her reason for taking on this challenging climb? Her father, Frank.

Frank is Kate’s motivation and inspiration to fundraise and take on this adventure for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). After a solid fight spanning 7 years, Frank passed away in December 2013 from prostate cancer. Kate will trek in memory of Frank but she is also intent on making a difference to the many men struggling from prostate cancer.

‘”Around nine men die from prostate cancer each day in Australia”. I don’t know about you, but this makes me angry.’ Kate McInerny

In fact, for anyone considering taking on a fundraising challenge, Kate’s fundraising page is a great source of ideas with plenty of photos and posts about each and every fundraising endeavour. So far she has raised over $10,200 and her goal of reaching $12,000 seems very much a reality!

Kate has drawn on the sporting community to support the challenge as well as hosted trivia nights, sold limes, got her co-workers to bake scones, held BBQs, sold pre-loved clothes at the markets and reached out to local and online media outlets to talk about her fundraising and about her father Frank and the 22,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.

Kate’s efforts have resulted in her being featured in a number of local news publications like the Bendigo Advertiser, medical blogs as well as popular online blogs like Mamamia and Stay At Home Mum.


Kate’s efforts with her local and not-so-local sporting community have also helped leverage her fundraising even further. The Bendigo Braves and Canberra Capitals basketball teams and the Hawthorn Hawks AFT team have all supported the Save a Man Kilimanjaro Challenge; Melbourne Victory Football Club has donated a signed ball and Australian cricketing superstars have donated signed bats. Frank being a keen AFL fan would no doubt highly approve of the sporting community getting behind Kate’s efforts.

 


While Kate has made the fundraising side of her journey look easy, it has been something she has really worked hard at. She has been posting regular updates on her fundraising page and backing it up with Tweets about where it is at. She has also been using Twitter as a medium to thank all those who have supported her.

The other side of the challenge is training for Kilimanjaro. Kate has braved Melbourne’s summer heat and winter chill to ensure that her fitness is adequate. She gets up ‘before the coffee man’ to pound the pavement and she has also incorporated physically demanding events like ‘Tough Mudder’ into her training regime to help keep her on track.

“I overcame my fear of heights and broke through many pain barriers. The whole time I kept thinking, cancer battlers do this everyday so suck it up. Let’s stop the need for this battle and donate now!” Kate after Tough Mudder 2014

But throughout her journey, Kate has not been alone. Her mother Linley has been by her side providing her with ‘unconditional love and guidance’ and her friends, colleagues, community and fellow team mates are also there. Among them is Keith Daddow, a prostate cancer survivor and champion fundraiser having raised over $20,000 for PCFA to contribute to the overall success of the Save A Man Challenge team!

Together Kate and her fellow climbers will come together to help each other get to the summit. They know it is going to be hard – both physically and emotionally.

“It’s a difficult challenge physically and then there’s the emotional aspect of it too – that when you reach the top of the mountain you’ve made it, you’ll have the elation of being up there, but you will also be reminded of the reason you are there…so, it’s a bit sad, but it’s good we are going with a good group of people that all have the same experience.” Kate on Laparoscopic Urology Australia Blog – August 2014

Inspired Adventures is proud to work with inspirational people like Kate and see them achieve their fundraising goals and excel at their physical conquests. Today marks Frank McInerny’s birthday and it is on this day that we pay homage to the Kate’s of the world who take a tragic loss and turn it into a driver for change. Our thoughts are with Kate and her mum Linley today.

You can read more about Kate’s story in her own word, over on Mumbrella.