Life's a cruise for Cairns Relay for Life face
AFTER she was diagnosed with breast cancer 12 years ago, Lyn Burdon feared she would never be able to fulfil her dream of going on a cruise.
Now she has just stepped off her ninth cruise ship.
Lyn, 62, is the 2010 face of the Cairns Relay for Life.
Oddly, she credits her cancer with giving her a new lease on life, helping her gain the strength and courage to buy an eatery business in Earlville, take up dancing lessons and of course, venture out into the wide world.
Pictures: Cairns Relay for Life 2009
"I was in the chemo chair and I thinking to myself, well my sons have grown up and my husband has died, what do I do with the rest of my life?" Lyn said.
"I’d always wanted to learn to dance. I wanted to go on a cruise, and I wanted to buy a business.
"I learned to dance and yesterday, I got off a cruise – my ninth in 10 years."
The Relay for Life is an annual fundraising event hosted by the Cancer Council of Queensland.
The relay is held overnight, where teams participate in a relay-style walk or run to raise funds for the organisation.
This year it will be held at Barlow Park on June 5-6.
During the event in Cairns last year 3000 people helped raise nearly $49,000.
Lyn has participated with her fellow dancers for the past eight years – in between cruises, of course.
For more information, call Cancer Council Queensland on 1300 656 585 or visit the Relay for Life website.
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Living life to the full: Breast cancer survivor Lyn Burdon, 62, will be the face of Cairns Relay for Life fundraising event at Barlow Park in June. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
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