Cheryl Machen Mackay, Queensland Australia   Click Here to Donate Now!

“What if breast cancer was just the start of an incredible journey?” These words from the Amazon Heart website are so true for me! It is now 2 years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I had no idea that such an amazing journey lay ahead of me. My life has changed so much since my diagnosis. I now make the most of every day and every opportunity that comes my way. A whole new world has opened up for me.

After my treatment was finished in May 2005, I met with other breast cancer survivors in Mackay and we formed a Dragons Abreast group here. What a great bunch of people they are! We raised enough money in just 7 months to buy a brand new dragon boat which we named “DAM Oarsome” and now we paddle in our beautiful marina twice a week. Our membership continues to grow as more and more breast cancer survivors see how much fun we are having and come to join us. We have a second boat on order to cope with this increase. I have made many new friends through Dragons Abreast both in my own town and all over Australia. I attended the International Breast Cancer Survivor Regatta in Singapore last year and raced in a composite team made up of women from all over Australia. This year our team is looking forward to competing in the Chinese New Year Regatta in Sydney and the Abreast in a Boat International Regatta in Caloundra.

Last year I was fortunate enough to be selected to take part in Amazon Heart Odyssey Montana where I joined 10 other breast cancer survivors to live and work alongside the Blackfeet Indian people and help build a bunkhouse for the children to use for their cultural studies. What a fantastic experience that was! We slept in tepees and learnt to do things we didn’t know we were capable of. I had such a great time with this amazing group of women and the Blackfeet people. I promised myself it would not be my last Amazon Heart adventure and I am so excited to be back again so soon! Arizona here I come!!!!

When I am not tripping around having the time of my life, I live in the North Queensland town of Mackay which has a population of around 78,000 people. My son and daughter are both married and between them they have given me 5 beautiful grandchildren aged from 4 to 12 years. They all live close by so I see them often. I am employed as a Support Worker for people with physical and intellectual disabilities and absolutely love my job. I gain a lot of pleasure and inspiration from my clients.

I am really looking forward to trekking in Arizona and meeting some more new people as well as catching up with some of my friends from the Montana adventure.

One of my main goals in life is to inspire other women, especially those who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer and to show them that there are no limits to what we can achieve if we set our minds to it.

Your donation to support my participation in Arizona Expedition 2007 will help the thousands of women who are diagnosed each year to access the support they need! Thank you for your generosity!!