Why cancer survivor wants to raise $500k at Mackay Marina Run 2022
Cancer survivor Clinton Parmenter’s family were brought in to say their goodbyes, with doctors saying ‘he won’t make it through the night’. But he did, and every night since.
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Mackay’s Marina Run is more than just a fundraising event for cancer survivor Clinton Parmenter.
In 2017, the Mackay resident was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and was told he may only have three months to live.
After receiving his first round of chemotherapy, Mr Parmenter got an infection in his Hickman Line and ended up with septic shock.
He spent four days in a coma in ICU, with doctors telling his family to say their goodbyes.
“My family was brought in to say their goodbyes, with doctors saying ‘he won’t make it through the night sorry’,” Mr Parmenter said.
“But I did, then the next night, then the next.”
He said he was given a stem cell transplant from his brother Leon and after nine months he was released from the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane.
“Another two rounds of chemotherapy, daily blood tests at 4am and more than 100 blood transfusions, we started looking for a bone marrow stem cell donor, it was our only hope,” Mr Parmenter said.
“(Then came) a final round of conditioning chemotherapy and the transplant of seven million stem cells from my brother Leon.
“With the support of Leukaemia Foundation and improvements day by day, after nine months in the Wesley Hospital I had been released back onto the road.”
Mr Parmenter said the Leukaemia Foundation was not only a support for his cancer journey and recovery but for his family while they were living in Brisbane for nine months.
“We contacted Leukaemia Foundation and they provided our family with a unit in the ESA Village at Dutton Park so they could visit me daily,” he said.
“It was such a relief to know they had somewhere to stay being 1100km from home.
“There are families in the village going through similar scenarios, so the support base was amazing.”
Mr Parmenter was announced as the ambassador for the event at the launch of the BMA Marina run on Friday.
“I’m very honoured to be the ambassador of the Leukaemia foundation, it is a great foundation and it supported me immensely over the years,” Mr Parmenter said.
Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said the event was expected to have the highest participation of any run so far in Mackay.
“This has become one of Australia’s most iconic footrace events,” Mr Williamson said.
“We know half a million dollars raised for the Leukaemia donation is significant reason for why this event is so popular and what it does for so many people.”
Mackay’s biggest fundraising run is in its 14th year, with a target to raise $500,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation.
The BMA Marina Run is on Sunday June 5, with participants having the choice to run 5km, 8km and 21km.
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