Susannah Hicks runs a 'Half-Marathon of Hope' after losing her mum to ovarian cancer

Read time 3 mins

Susannah Hicks lost one of her "biggest cheerleaders" when she lost her mum to ovarian cancer a few years ago. After surviving a number of recurrences and five years of living with the disease, meeting her grandchildren and cherishing every moment, the treatment stopped working and the family lost hope of her recovering. Read more about her determination to make a difference and create hope for future generations.

"When mum was told she had primary peritoneal cancer (a type of ovarian cancer) I was 35 weeks pregnant with our first child. Her specialist said there was treatment and surgery, that could work but that it would come back. No ifs, ands or buts.

If you were around in 1992 you might’ve recorded your favourite TV shows on video. Thankfully we’ve moved on from that technology, but treatment for ovarian cancer has barely changed since then."

After losing her mum and having conversations with the people in her life, Susannah uncovered stories of four other women known to her friends and family who had also lost their lives to ovarian cancer.

The Half-Marathon of Hope

Susannah was driven to do something to create hope for better outcomes in the future, so she signed up for the Nike Melbourne Marathon.

A self-professed 'non-runner', Susannah set herself a challenge of running the half-marathon distance, dubbing it her 'Half-Marathon of Hope' and aiming to raise $3,000 for ovarian cancer research, through the OCRF.

“While it was hard work, it was also healing in so many ways. Mum would have said 'you're bonkers' signing up to a half marathon as a non-runner, but she also would have supported me every step of the way."

While she trained for weeks to build up her endurance, running over 300km in preparation and completing regular yoga sessions, Susannah was also determined to honour her mum and the women in her network who had also lost their lives to ovarian cancer. 

Honouring loved ones lost to ovarian cancer

Ahead of event day, she decided to have their names printed on her OCRF running singlet so that she could carry them with her during the 21.1 kilometre run: Mum, Mig, Marg, Katie, and Moo.

On the back of her hydration vest, she printed the names of people who had supported her with donations to the OCRF, highlighting just how important their support was to her, and to creating better outcomes for future generations of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Smashing her fundraising target

Event day came around and Susannah completed her half-marathon, crossing the line amazed at what she had achieved and proud to have raised more than $5,100 for ovarian cancer research, exceeding her target of $3,000.

When reflecting on her fundraising, she said:

Thinking of mum as I ran brought a smile to my face and extra spring in my step. Sharing our story and talking about ovarian cancer has sparked a number of conversations with people, aghast that treatment hasn't changed much since the 1990s, and that there's still no early detection test.

I'm now looking for my next challenge and potential fundraiser, but this was an experience I will certainly never forget."

Susannah at the finish line inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

Fundraisers like Susannah's contribute to the ongoing funding of ovarian cancer research around Australia, through the OCRF grants scheme.

Every dollar invested in this research creates hope for a future where women's lives are not threatened by ovarian cancer.

Interested in joining a challenge event to fundraise for the OCRF? Check out a list of events around Australia here.

Registrations are open now for the 2023 Nike Melbourne Marathon, sign up today.