Channel 7 Sunrise sports presenter, daughter unite for Tour de Cure fundraiser against cancer

CHANNEL Seven sports presenter Mark Beretta and his 12-year-old daughter Ava are working together in a fundraising drive to fight cancer.

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A MOSMAN TV star dad has teamed up with his 12-year-old daughter to help cancer patients.

Ava Beretta will be donating her beautiful, waist-length hair to a wig library to help a patient on their journey to recovery.

Meanwhile, dad Mark — sports presenter on Channel Seven’s Sunrise — will be undertaking a gruelling annual bike ride.

Both are working for the Tour de Cure charity, which increases awareness about and fundraises for cancer research through cycling events.

Ava has already exceeded her $1000 fundraising goal and has made more than $4800 ahead of her planned head shaving on Friday next week.

The Beretta family show their support for the cancer charity Tour de Cure. Ava, 12, Mark, Dan, 9, Rachel and the family dog. Picture: Annika Enderborg

Mark Beretta is a Tour de Cure board member and will leave for his seventh charity bike ride a day earlier.

The 10-day 1520km tour rides from Brisbane to Sydney.

But it was Ava’s realisation of finding out that loved ones had “the terrible disease” and hearing about what they and their families had to experience which compelled her to take action.

“When I hear that someone, anyone, has cancer it gives me this feeling, a feeling like a punch in the stomach, a feeling like when your stomach drops on a roller coaster,” Ava said.

“I am so happy to be able to help, shaving my hair is so little compared to what lovely humans go through when they find out that they have been diagnosed.”

She will donate her waist-length hair to the Tracey Scone Wig Library at the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation.

Ava prepares to lose her hair to fight cancer. Picture: Annika Enderborg

Her mother Rachel Beretta said her daughter knew a girl her own age who had cancer as well as relatives in the UK.

“Ava has gotten to the age where she’s seeing the reason why her dad is fundraising,” she said.

“She’s seen photos of children her age with no hair and she was very conscious that they don’t have a choice.

“She’s incredibly world conscious so she felt she really wanted to do something that would make an impact and she thought that was a way to show her empathy.

“We are extremely proud of her; it’s something she feels incredibly strongly about.”

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