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Monday, 2 July 2012

It's goodbye high heels and handbag, hello hiking boots and backpack as the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research's Acting Director gets set to conquer a mountain in a personal crusade against childhood cancer.

Adjunct Professor Moira Clay, from The University of Western Australia, will fly to Europe on 8 July as part of the Telethon Adventurers challenge to raise funds to help researchers discover the causes, and perhaps a cure, for this devastating disease.

Professor Clay aims to scale Italy's highest peak, Gran Paradiso, as well as undertake other activities such as tandem paragliding, rock climbing, mountain biking, canyoning and white-water rafting in Chamonix, France.

"There's no hiding the fact that cancer remains the number one killer disease in children," Professor Clay said.  "It's a shattering diagnosis and one that our Telethon Institute research teams are working tirelessly to overcome."

"Our research is making incredible progress but there are still crucial questions to be answered and I am absolutely determined to do anything I can to raise the money to help find those answers."

The Telethon Adventurers fundraising group was established in 2010 in honour of Rick Parish's four-year old son Elliot who lost his battle against cancer.

"There are courageous youngsters all across WA just like Elliot who are fighting for their lives every single day," Professor Clay said.  "This adventure is my way of trying to support their incredibly brave struggle.  This is my way of waging war on cancer."

Media references

Tammy Gibbs (Public Relations Office Manager ICHR)  (+61 8)  9489 7963
Elizabeth Chester (Media Relations Manager ICHR)  (+61 8)  9489 7965  /  (+61 4) 09 988 530
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716

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