Distance makes cancer harder.
This August, walk or run to support country NSW cancer patients. Your participation helps fund practical support for families facing long journeys to receive treatment and care.
Challenge yourself this August and support cancer patients.
Join Can Do the Distance, a virtual fundraising challenge that turns every kilometre into meaningful support for country cancer patients.
For people living in regional and rural NSW, travelling long distances is often part of life. But when cancer enters the picture, those journeys become far more than just kilometres. They can mean hours on the road, time away from loved ones, lost income, and the added costs of fuel and accommodation to access lifesaving treatment.
Whether you're walking around your neighbourhood, along a country road, through the paddocks, or running your usual route, every kilometre is a chance to stand alongside people who travel for treatment because they have no other choice.
This August, choose your distance, complete it your way, and help ensure country cancer patients and their families receive the practical support they need, when they need it most.
How to get involved
Wherever you are in the world, you can take part in this virtual challenge and join the Can Do the Distance community. Participation is free and open to everyone.
JOIN US
Register as an individual or create a team. Choose the Can Assist branch you'd like to support, set your fundraising goal and pick your distance.
FUNDRAISE
Personalise your fundraising page and invite friends, family and colleagues to support your challenge. Every dollar raised stays with your chosen branch, helping local people affected by cancer.
DO THE DISTANCE
Complete your distance throughout August. Walk, run or mix it up—every kilometre you track represents the journey country cancer patients make to access lifesaving treatment and care.
Raised Local, Stays Local
Every dollar you raise stays with your chosen Can Assist branch, directly helping local cancer patients and their families in that community.
Top fundraisers
Cancer is hard. Cancer in the country is harder.
Thousands of people across country NSW travel extraordinary distances to access cancer treatment, often driving hundreds of kilometres multiple times each month. Alongside the physical and emotional challenges of cancer comes the added burden of fuel, accommodation and travel expenses.
For more than 70 years, Can Assist has helped ease that burden, providing practical and financial support to country cancer patients and their families when they need it most.
Your donation helps ensure that distance is never a barrier to treatment and that no one faces cancer alone simply because of where they live.
Cover travel and accommodation costs for country cancer patients
Provide financial assistance to ease out-of-pocket expenses
Support rural families so no one faces cancer alone
Ensure where you live never determines the care you receive
Em Callaghan Photography 2026.
A story worth doing the distance for
This August, Leanne is taking on the Can Do the Distance challenge in memory of her sister, Ellie.
Ellie was just 24 when she was diagnosed with a rare cancer while pregnant with her daughter, Ivy. Over the following years, she faced repeated surgeries, long hospital stays and thousands of kilometres of travel for treatment, all while raising a young family. Throughout her journey, Can Assist provided vital support, helping ease the burden of being so far from home.
After losing Ellie at just 27, Leanne found comfort in walking - “Walking has helped me with my grief, and it feels fitting to turn it into a fundraiser for a good cause.”
Support Leanne, and people you know affected by cancer, by signing up or donating today.
A special thanks to our sponsors
