Just six months after completing one of the most aggressive cancer treatment regimens his hospital had ever seen, Shane Whiteford is lacing up his running shoes – not to escape his past, but to honour those who carried him through it.
Diagnosed in December 2023 with a rare and dangerously situated Ewing Sarcoma in his neck, Shane’s year-long battle with cancer included major surgery, a gruelling 12 months of chemotherapy, and four relentless weeks of daily radiation.
Now in recovery, the devoted father of two, husband and son is taking on a different kind of challenge: running 200 kilometres in the month of June to raise funds – not for hospital equipment or research – but for the nurses he calls “angels in scrubs”!
“They help you understand the complexities of treatment, they talk you through each step,” Shane said. “And along the way, they become friends, therapists, a shoulder to cry on, and your rock to rely on.”
From chemo chairs to emotional breakdowns, the oncology nurses at Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Day Treatment Centre were with Shane through it all. And now, he wants to give back.
“This fundraiser is for them,” Shane wrote on his GoFundMe page. “Not the hospital, not the directors… but for my great support team.” The funds raised will go toward whatever the nursing team chooses – “something to make their workdays a little brighter.”
Running an average of six kilometres per day, Shane’s goal is part of his ongoing rehab – his return to physical fitness only beginning in February 2025 after months of debilitating treatment.
“I am now six months clear and have started to gain my ‘new’ normal life,” he shared. “This run is my way of saying thank you. I couldn’t have done my journey without them.”
With every kilometre, Shane is not only rebuilding his strength but reminding the world of the quiet heroes in our hospitals. His battle cry?
“FU Cancer. I kicked your ass.”
And now, with every step, he’s lifting others up – one stride, one donation and one angel in scrubs at a time.
Image: GoFundMe
