25 February 2021

Jo Heap (second from left) and some members of the MICAMHAS & Friends Relay For Life team.

Raising funds for the Cancer Society is a cause close to the hearts of Whanganui District Health Board’s “MICAMHAS & Friends” Relay For Life team.

Each team member has their own story of how cancer has touched their lives, including team leader Jo Heap, WDHB’s Clinical Nurse Educator for the Maternal, Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Addiction Service (MICAMHAS).

“As the lead for our MICAMHAS & Friends team, I have a close friend, grandfather and two sisters-in-law who have passed away from cancer, as well as a parent who is currently suffering from it.”

Jo says MICAMHAS is an active team who like to support community activities, including with their vegetable garden, which provides free vegetables, and ‘Casual Fridays’ where staff donate items of food which are given to clients and their whānau who may need it.

“The Relay For Life team seemed a natural extension of this, not only because the Cancer Society is a very worthwhile and essential service but also because most of us have been touched by cancer personally or through close whānau or friends.

“Our team have a shared belief that every contribution towards cancer treatment counts.”

Relay For Life involves teams of people who walk or run around a track, raising awareness and funds to support the work of Cancer Society. The event takes place at Cooks Gardens, Whanganui, on Saturday 13 March and Sunday 14 March.

If you would like to support the MICAMHAS team, go to: https://whanganui.relayforlife.org.nz/donate select MICAMHAS & Friends and donate.