Leanne straps on boots for Can Assist

Young's Leanne Schulz is lacing up her walking shoes to undertake a gruelling 270km charity walk in August for Can Assist's Can Do the Distance in honour of her sister Ellie Robertson. Leanne has committed to raise funds for the Harden branch of Can Assist as well as the Young - Boorowa branch of Can Assist. For Leanne this is a highly personal challenge and she set her goal to walk and jog 270km in August - 10 km for each year of her younger sister's life. She said she is doing this to honour Ellie's wishes as it was always her sister's goal that once she got better she would start fundraising and paying back the community for all their support. "It wasn't just Can Assist in Harden and Young that that were supportive of her, it was the whole community," she said. "The whole community that rallied around her. Can Assist were one of the main organisations that helped her." Ellie was 24 years old, newly married and pregnant with her first child when her cancer journey began. At a routine 12‑week pregnancy scan, doctors discovered a mass in Ellie’s bladder. At first, there was little concern. Further tests and a biopsy confirmed it was cancer, but specialists believed it would remain contained and could be addressed after her baby was born. Ellie was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma a rare cancer of the bladder. In her second trimester, Ellie underwent surgery to remove the visible cancer, before carrying her daughter to term. Six weeks welcoming her daughter Ivy into the world, Ellie underwent major surgery to partially remove her bladder. Ellie's daughter Ivy, sister Leanne and mother Helen, along with her husband Paul (not pictured) fondly remember her. However the cancer returned around nine months later and Ellie spent the next eight months away from home over the course of her illness, attending specialist appointments and treatments. Her family clocked more than 5,000 kilometres travelling to and from Wagga Wagga, and over 20,000 kilometres travelling between home and Sydney. Can Assist Young and Harden branches provided vital support through fuel vouchers and accommodation, helping Ellie’s mother stay close to care so Ellie could continue seeing her daughter Ivy during long hospital stays. Leanne said they just didn't have access to all the tests and treatments Ellie needed locally and the distance having to travel also proved to be a challenge. In mid‑2023, Ellie underwent a massive 15‑hour surgery in Sydney. Surgeons removed non‑essential organs, sections of bowel, and performed a heated chemotherapy wash. However by Ellie's 27th birthday her condition deteriorated rapidly. The cancer returned aggressively, completely blocking her bowel and fusing organs together. Ellie was told there were no further treatment options and came home under palliative care, passing away on 12 April, 2024 aged just 27. Leanne said the idea of giving back and repaying the community for their support and generosity was Ellie's idea. While Ellie never got around to it, Leanne said this is undertaking this challenge in her honour and to help Can Assist support others in need Throughout the month Leanne will be walking in both Harden and Young, with her routes and walk length changing per day and the conditions that day, however she has calculated that she will need to walk at least nine kilometres a day to reach her target. You can support the Leanne's fundraiser by heading tohttps://can-assist.grassrootz.com/can-do-the-distance/can-do-the-distance-for-ellie-harden which will see funds raised go to Harden-Murrumburrah branch of Can Assist or head online to https://can-assist.grassrootz.com/can-do-the-distance/can-do-the-distance-for-ellie-young which will see funds raised go to Young-Boorowa branch of Can Assist. Other community members are welcome to jump on to 'Team Ellie', Leanne said, and they can walk, run or cycle however much they want. Leanne said as part of the team they can .do their walks in their own team, and any fundraising they get will go towards the team total and go to the chosen branch of either Harden or Young, To keep up to date with the fundraiser walk, you can head onto Facebook where she has set up the page Can Do the Distance for Ellie.