The Fred Hollows Foundation is hosting its annual fundraising event, Fred’s Big Run this August, with the hope of raising money to restore sight and transform lives.
Participants of Fred’s Big Run are challenged to either run or walk a total of 100 kilometres throughout the month of August, all to raise money for a great cause.
Kirsten Hall, 19, was excited to join Fred’s Big Run and joined 90,000 other runners for this year’s City2Surf as an opportunity to gain some kilometres for the 100-kilometre monthly total.
“Wanting to partake in Fred’s Big Run was honestly a no brainer for me. When I was 16, I was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease,” Miss Hall said.
“Stargardt’s disease happens when there is a change to the ABCA4 gene, this can happen from genetics, which in my case it was. In Stargardt disease, the fatty material builds up in yellowish clumps on the macula,”
Image of Kirsten Hall’s eye scan versus a normal eye scan.
“Over time, this fatty material kills the light-sensitive cells and destroys your central vision. So essentially my central vision is deteriorating. Stargardt’s disease can get inevitably worse over time.”
The City2Surf annual running event is held in Sydney and is the largest fun run in the world, attracting tens of thousands of participants each year. The event covers a 14-kilometre course throughout the city.
“I participated in City2Surf with my good friend Holly, and the atmosphere of City2Surf was absolutely brilliant. They provide just about everything and watching the cheer squads on the sidelines was really motivating too,” Miss Hall said.
“It was quite amazing to see 90,000 people all coming together to make a difference, and to have been a part of that I’m quite proud… it was such a rewarding experience.”
Last year, over $1.2 million was raised to support The Foundation’s mission to end avoidable blindness with over 5,000 individuals taking part in Fred’s Big Run. These results from last year benefitted more than 50,000 people.
Brand and Communications Director at The Foundation, Alison Hill, knows that founder Fred Hollows would have been immensely proud of Fred’s Big Run.
“Fred’s Big Run brings together people from all walks of life working towards different fitness goals and facing different hurdles but in pursuit of the same outcome; restoring sight to those in need,” Ms Hill said.
To help support Kirsten’s cause, follow the link to donate to The Fred Hollows Foundation.