BY ANGIE DAVIES
A group of Hunter locals will finish a 900 kilometre bike ride from Brisbane to Newcastle this weekend as part of a RUN DIPG fundraiser.
Lucas, John and Odin will be joined by around 50 riders, promoting the need for vital funding into childhood brain cancer, particularly Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Giloma (DIPG).
DIPG is the deadliest form of childhood cancer and there is currently no effective treatment available.
RUN DIPG founder, Associate Professor Matt Dun, from the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute, says there is still a long way to come with finding a cure.
"DIPG equates to 1 in 5 childhood deaths each year. Medical research hasn't advanced in 60 years of modern medicine, this means we are still in the very much in the first step of finding opportunities for these patients and families as they are diagnosed with DIPG," he said.
The final leg of the bike ride will end at the Hunter Medical Research Institute this Sunday. The riders have stopped at many east coast towns during the journey, with extra kilometres added on due to the current challenging weather conditions.
Associate Professor Matt Dunn says the team initially set out to raise $40,000, however have now exceeded this.
"We're please to say we actually cam second in the Gold Coast Marathon, so that raised over $60,000 for research," he said.
