Townsville Stevedore Ren Pedersen should be looking forward to having coffee with his daughter this week.
Amy would have been in her mid-20s and enjoying the opportunities available to a young Australian adult.
But Amy died 16 years ago on March 31 at the hands an aggressive form of brainstem cancer called DIPG, or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.
Main image: Fundraiser Ren Pedersen
Ren has the resolve of a man robbed of one of his closest relationships and he’s been trying to beat the disease with relentless fund-raising ever since.
The Northern Stevedoring Services employee set himself a big task late last year when forming Ren’s Million Dollar Mission.
He’s raised more than $93,000 in three months.
Related: NSS comes on as naming rights cure sponsor
This latest effort helped researchers expedite new drugs into the clinic, Ren said.
He said he was surprised to find the same drug options being prescribed today as when his daughter was being treated.
“You’ve got doctors trying to give treatments to children who, a lot of times, are more affected by the treatments.
“We’re here to expedite the process and are working with the scientists at the Children’s Cancer Institute.
“We have 20 scientists, 20 researchers in the lab working on this ailment alone. And they are there to save the lives of these kids. And that’s what Ren’s Million Dollar Mission is all about.”
Sponsorship represented good value for donors, Ren said.
“If they want to get maximum bang for their buck, there is no other cause on the face of the earth better than Ren’s Million Dollar Mission, especially leading up to the end of financial year.
“What better way to make your ledger look better than donate to a tax deductible charity as well as making your own fiscal situation more exciting.
“These families don’t have voices, these kids don’t have voices. So, we’ve got to get the money into the bank to give to the researchers and save these kids’ lives.”
Ren was instrumental in helping establish the annual fundraiser, Convoy for the Cure, in Townsville which is expected to attract hundreds of trucks and motorbikes as they negotiate a course from the Bohle to Ross Dam Park in May.
NSS is the naming rights sponsor for Convoy. Funds raised go to international charity The Cure Starts Now which supports research into DIPG.