Kimberly Mehta

I'm stepping up against cancer

I will never forget how scared and helpless I felt the day my dad rang me to tell me that my godmother had cancer.

I burst into tears at the shock of what my dad had just said. He told me to ring my godma, but to stop crying before I do because she was "SUPER positive and determined to fight the cancer and win". Sure enough, when I spoke to her, I was so reassured by her determination to fight that I thought there was no way any cancer was taking my godma away from me.

And fight she did.

She fought multiple metastatic cancers for years with the same strength, spirit and determination as she said she would on the phone with me that day. (She even made it to my wedding and saw me get married!).

The thing about cancer though, is that it doesn't care how hard you fight. 

On the 20th of September 2019, right as I was leaving a restaurant after dinner with my husband, my phone rang and I saw my godbrother's name flash up.

Losing my godmother to cancer felt so unfair. I felt like because she fought so hard, she deserved to live.

3 short years later, while my granddad was in hospital battling complications from multiple myeloma, we discovered that my granny had pancreatic cancer.

Because of her age, there were no treatment options available to her. As a family, we grieved our impending loss, knowing that she likely wouldn’t live to see a new year.

The worst thing about cancer is that it takes the person you love away from you slowly. Sometimes it gives you a little hope, but then it takes it back. No matter how hard you try to forget it, it’s the omnipresent being in the room, the knowledge that soon, this person you love will be taken away from you.

We said goodbye to my granny on the 3^rd of October 2022. 6 months later, on the 15^th of March 2023 my granddad left this earth to join her.

This year, I’m taking on Relay For Life in their memory and to honour their fight. I will be running 15km in their memory and to raise funds for every person who’s ever heard the words: “you have cancer”. In 2024, more than 150, 000 Australians will receive the news. Among them are our families, friends and colleagues.

Cancer is a devastating disease for so many. For people living with cancer, their treatments can be long and stressful. For those without solutions, the future can be uncertain.

With your support, I hope to help as many people impacted by cancer as possible. Together, we can support families when they need it most, empower people to reduce their risk, speak up for communities, and find new ways to better detect and treat cancer.

Every step I take is one closer to a cancer-free future. But I can’t do it alone! Please donate to my Relay today and together, we can help Cancer Council provide life-changing support services, advocacy, prevention and research across Australia.

Thank you for reading my story, for helping me to honour the lives of 3 people whom I love and for helping me in my fight against cancer.

In loving memory of

Phuah Lay Bee

14 January 1954 – 20 September 2019

Kim Looi Mehta

21 September 1931 – 3 October 2022

William Norman Mehta

29 April 1932 – 15 March 2023