The Wee Walk: Circumnavigating Mt Taranaki For Prostate Cancer And Cancer Research

Prostate cancer patient Maurice Bevin returns to New Zealand next week to see his oncologist for the first time since COVID closed New Zealand’s borders in 2020. He’s also using this trip home as a chance to raise money for cancer research and prostate cancer awareness by walking 125km around Taranaki in under 24 hours.

Maurice cites the NZ Government’s COVID policies as the reason he was unable to get home to see his cancer specialist. While he has been regularly sending through his blood test and PSA results from his home base in Mexico, in February he will finally be able to see his oncologist for the first time in three years.

Maurice was diagnosed with aggressive, stage four prostate cancer in 2019. The cancer had already spread to his pelvic bones, vertebrae and shoulders and he was given a life expectancy of 3-5 years. At age 69, Maurice is refusing to let cancer dictate his life. He still enjoys his work offshore in the North Sea and last year he spent 33 days walking 1,465km in the UK to raise awareness for prostate cancer. Now, he’s looking to do an epic one-day walk around Mt Taranaki to raise funds for cancer research and support for Cancer Research Trust New Zealand and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand, as well as build awareness of prostate cancer among Kiwi men.

Referring to it as his "Wee Walk", Maurice has been seriously training for his 125km circumnavigation of Mt Taranaki for the past three months. Scheduled for Saturday 21 January, he will be starting at New Plymouth Racecourse, heading to Okato, walking all the way around the mountain, finishing back at the Racecourse.

Maurice says "I’m determined to help build a future where children should not have to battle cancer and where none of us should live in fear of losing a parent or partner to cancer. Yet current data shows that half of us will get some type of cancer during our lifetime."

Maurice is a vocal advocate for cancer patients, referring to himself as a cancer warrior facing the biggest, toughest battle of his life. He’s worried that cancer diagnoses fell by the wayside during COVID and that as a result many Kiwis will be facing a death sentence when they are finally diagnosed. He wants to raise awareness of the need for early detection and diagnosis so that others are not facing the same future as him. By raising funding for cancer research, he hopes to create a brighter future for Kiwis who, like him, are living with cancer.

You can support Maurice, Cancer Research Trust New Zealand and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand by visiting his dedicated Give A Little page and making a donation today: https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/the-wee-walk-around-mt-taranaki-by-road-125km-non

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