5K Foam Fest kicks off
We're the official charity partner of Australia's bubbliest 5km fun run, which kicks off this weekend!
Wish mum Natalie took part in the first Melbourne event last year. This is her story.
Meet Natalie
Having a little girl with not one but two cancers changed Natalie’s life.
Imogen was four when she was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare liver cancer. Doctors also discovered she had germ cells – leftover cells from when she was in Natalie’s uterus which had turned cancerous.
“We’re not too sure which one triggered which cancer but she had two types at the same time,” Natalie said.
“So when we caught it, her tumour was actually growing 2cm a day. So by the time we had chemotherapy in her system, it was up to the size of about 14cm.”
Imogen eventually underwent a successful liver transplant.
Imogen's wish
Imogen initially wanted something simple: a sleepover with her best friend, who she first met when they were four months old.
But thanks to Make-A-Wish, Imogen’s with evolved and ended up being a trip to Queensland so that she could meet some of her favourite animals.
Imogen – joined by her best friend - went to Sea World where her long-held desire to go in a helicopter came to fruition. Then it was on to Australia Zoo where she finally got to meet her most favourite animal, a giraffe.
Foam Fest
Natalie pulled her best runners on in 2019 to run in Foam Fest.
"I'm not a runner, but I figured why not!"
She dragged her husband into running too.
“It was lots of fun, I am quite competitive so it was great to run with him,” Natalie said.
“He’s probably the better runner but I don’t let him know that!”
Inspired?
Why not sign up to 5K Foam Fest? With six locations around the country each boasting 22 amazing obstacles, don't miss out on getting your place in Australia's bubbliest fun run!
Wish Effect
Natalie urged anyone thinking about Foam Fest to sign up this year.
“Having a wish made a massive difference for Imogen,” Natalie said.
“She was still having chemo when the planning started. It gave her a goal, every time she felt down or was in ICU we kept talking to her about it.
“We would say ‘we know it hurts now but you got big holiday coming up’.”
We're proud to be the official charity partner of 5K Foam Fest, helping more life-changing wishes come true.
