13/10/2026
One of our incredible top 3 fundraisers, Helen, shares her own rehabilitation experience and how her whānau and community rallied together to support the Burpee Challenge and help more New Zealanders affected by cancer on their rehabilitation journey.
“I’m Helen, I come from Dunedin, I’m a wife, mum, teacher, artist and I live with stage four cancer.
I signed up for this challenge thinking I would be able to front up for a few burpees despite not being in peak shape made to cancer treatments. Unfortunately due to some treatment side effects (hello, bone fracture) I was not going to be able to do any burpees… BUT, I have an incredible community of friends and whānau who stepped up to smash out the burpees, starting with my husband and our sons who are 9 and 11.
Our team did their burpees near and far, from Ōmaha to Ōmakau, and ranged in age from 5 years old to over 40!
I’m so grateful to every one of them for their supreme efforts, and to every person who kindly donated to our fundraising page.
This means a lot to me personally because as a cancer patient I have been able to use funding from the Cancer Rehab Foundation to return to exercise after multiple surgeries and treatments. It can feel very daunting when you are recovering from a major surgery, and my amazing physio Kerryn has supported and encouraged me, making sure I am exercising safely and helping regain confidence and mobility.
I’m happy to be able to share my experience and support other people who need to access this life-giving service.“
