Kylan, Jordan, Nick and Jono Beech are riding from the Gold Coast to Adelaide this November in memory of their mum, Tammy-Lee Beech, who passed away from lung cancer in 2016.
Youngest brother Kylan was just 14 years old when he lost his mum and best friend to lung cancer. She never smoked and had no symptoms. The family never saw it coming.
“I was just 14 when my mum was diagnosed and passed away from lung cancer. We had just shy of a year from diagnosis to her passing and we all assumed that she’d get through it. But she didn’t,” Kylan said.
“I’d give anything to have my mum here to watch me grow up, to have just one more year, one more day with her.”
Kylan, along with his brothers, decided to turn the heartbreak into action and in 2020 came up with the idea of “220 For Tammy” – riding 220kms from Adelaide to Barmera in regional South Australia to raise funds for cancer research.
The brothers raised an incredible $30,000 for cancer research, with the success inspiring them to take on an even bigger challenge in 2022, riding an amazing 2,200kms from the Gold Coast to Adelaide to raise $50,000 to support cancer research.
Kylan said that when he came up with the idea, his brothers were sceptical.
“Jordan and Nick both live on the Gold Coast, with Jono and I living here, so we thought “why not”. We know it’s going to be a challenge, but it’s nothing compared to what people face going through cancer every day.”
“Mum’s favourite quote was “it may be stormy, but it never lasts forever”, so whenever it get’s hard, we always remember that.”
The Beech Boys will set off from Cancer Council Queensland Gold Coast Office on Saturday 29 October, arriving out the front of Cancer Council SA’s Adelaide office on Saturday, 12 November, the same day as their mum’s birthday.
“Since mum passed away, I’ve always wondered why mum’s cancer couldn’t be detected earlier and why we will all have to go through the rest of life without her,” said Kylan.
“I’d give anything to have my mum here to watch me grow up, to have just one more year, one more day with her.”
“220 For Tammy is our way of doing something, so that other families won’t experience growing up without their mum because of cancer.”
All the money raised through “220 For Tammy” will go towards Cancer Council funded research projects.
Cancer Council is the largest independent funder of cancer research in Australia. In 2020, Cancer Council and its research partners directed over $54 million to research grants for vital research projects across Australia thanks to the support of the community.
For more information on “220 For Tammy”, to donate or to follow the boys ride visit. 220fortammy.com