I have signed up with a team to hike the length of Dirk Hartog Island, off Denham Western Australia, to support The Pirate Ship Foundation and research into better treatments, and ultimately a cure, for childhood brain cancer.

The week long hike in May 2019 has never been done before and will cover over an estimated 115km of the rugged coastline and inland of Dirk Hartog from its southern to northern tip, finishing at the site of the historic 1616 landing. We will be carrying all of our own gear on our backs – that’s back up food, clothing, tents, everything we need for the entire week! Fishing for our dinner and only having access to fresh water at designated drop points across the island (which are up to 29km apart) makes this is a true survivor challenge. We will shortly start team training hikes as not only do we need to cover long distances over rough terrain each day, but we have to do it carrying up to 20kg!

Awareness drives change, and unfortunately still the majority of people don’t know that brain cancer kills more Australian children that any other disease. It is a complex disease that has not received the funding or attention that it deserves for decades, and as a result survival rates and quality of life for survivors has lagged significantly against other childhood diseases and cancers. Survival rates can and will be improved through the funding of quality research, just as they have in other cancers such as childhood leukaemia, where a once deadly disease now has survival rates of 85%+.

The Pirate Ship Foundation is a Perth-based organisation committed to changing this by advancing discovery on childhood brain cancer research. They do this by fundraising for world-class research in the discovery of less damaging treatments and ultimately a cure, including at the Telethon Kids Institute at PCH, which is the largest dedicated childhood brain cancer research laboratory in Australia and collaborates with like-minded first-class laboratories across the world.

A mate of mine Matt Fitzgerald and his wife Victoria have both been heavily involved with the Foundation since their daughter Abby completed gruelling treatment for brain cancer at just 4 years of age. Their family is just one of the many who have been heavily impacted by this disease and live in constant fear of relapse, which has almost no chance of survival given the already heavy toll of initial treatment. Abby responded to treatment and is thankfully a “survivor” and now over 4 years disease free - but like other survivors the impact of the decades-old current options of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy on her developing brain and body has become increasingly evident and will continue to take an increasingly heavy toll on her cognitive function, physical growth, sexual development, relationships and both ongoing quality of life and expectancy.

Please support me and The Pirate Ship Foundation in their vision of happy, healthy children free of brain cancer through a fully tax deductible donation at - https://dirkhartogislandsurvivor.gofundraise.com.au/page/RichardScragg______________

For further information on The Pirate Ship Foundation, its cause, ways to get involved in fundraising and the research programs funded please go to www.pirateshipfoundation.com.au

Thank you for your support.

Kind regards

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