Mr Lovering lost his son Harvey ‘the cure-ageous lion’ to cancer in June last year and started the Harvey’s Cureageous Pride walk in October as a way of honouring his memory.
Harvey was diagnosed with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour ” a rare brain tumour with low survival rate ” when he was just 17 months old.
Between February and August 2011, he endured six rounds of chemotherapy, including three rounds of megatherapy that required a stem cell transplant to help the body’s marrow to recover.
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READ NOWHowever, it was a chest infection that proved fatal.
Mr Lovering said this year’s walk was proving to be more successful than last year’s and he hoped to make it an annual event.
‘The response this time around has been better; we’ve had so much support,’ he said.
‘Businesses in the South-West have been helping us with accommodation, cafes and restaurants are helping with breakfasts and lunch, so it all helps.’
Mr Lovering will be heading down on September 18 to start the journey along with five others including friend Richard Elkington, who was part of last year’s trek and his mother-in-law, raising awareness and funds for Bright Blue, the Police Commissioner’s fund for sick children.
He said it was important to continue to push the cause as it was severely underfunded and money was needed for more research.
‘A lot of children have lost their fight to brain cancer, so we must continue to raise awareness and money for research in the hope we can one-day find a cure.’
The Harvey’s Cureageous Pride walk will start in Augusta on September 19 and finish in Perth on September 28.
They have raised $74,952.73 since September last year and are hoping to reach $100,000 by the end of the walk.
To donate visit http://www.everydayhero.com.au/ event/harveyscureageouspride.