Simon Harvey was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live, yet five years on he's not only overcome the disease but embarked on a grand adventure.
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Having started the journey on December 26, 2021, Mr Harvey is well underway in his Big Walk to 'Give Cancer the Boot', which will see him walk from Brisbane to Melbourne.
The goal he said was to inspire others that a broken life can be mended, while raising money towards the Kid's Cancer Project - the best part, is he's doing it all in a costume as "Captain Australia".
"I decided to dress up as the superhero Captain Australia and do it for a charity, and just by declaring that was what I was going to, it amplified my healing because I had a purpose," Mr Harvey said.
I think people who are watching are starting to understand my message that a broken life can be mended.
- Simon Harvey - Captain Australia
Mr Harvey said he hoped his journey would inspire people to push through the hard times.
"I think people who are watching are starting to understand my message that a broken life can be mended. I was in a dark place, but look at me I was able to fix it and therefore you can too," Mr Harvey said.
When ACM spoke with Mr Harvey this week, he was at Hawks Nest near Newcastle, taking a break and eating a pie, refuelling for the next leg of the adventure.
He said he'd also stopped at the town to post a letter to a kid currently battling cancer.
"So I am seated on a bench, opposite the news agency and post office and I just sent a postcard for this little dude named Archer, who is struggling with paediatric cancer at the moment," he said.
Mr Harvey said although he couldn't help him fight the disease, he could change his mind by sharing his adventure with him.
"So he's been asking his Mom, where's Captain Australia today and they can see that where I am from my Facebook updates," he said.
I just sent a postcard for this little dude named Archer, who is struggling with paediatric cancer at the moment,
- Simon Harvey - Captain Australia
Mr Harvey's own struggles around fighting cancer, was the great push behind undertaking the gigantic walk.
After being diagnosed with stage four invasive head and neck cancer and given the prognosis that he had six months to live, Mr Harvey said he felt he had no choice but to battle on, for the sake of his family.
"The worst problem of my cancer was the idea that if I died, I'd be depriving my kids of my future parenting, but also I'd be inflicting on them the grief of a lost father at very young ages," Mr Harvey said.
As if by a miracle, if not for the sheer strength of his will power, Mr Harvey fought on and in December 2021, his doctor declared the malignancy cured.
"The five year anniversary was last December and the doctor declared me cured," he said.
However an internal battle of hope may have been one of Mr Harvey's biggest challenges during this time and it is this very feeling he decided to re-instil in himself on this walk and inspire in others as well.
Mr Harvey said his sense of hope is renewed by walking, something that has always helped him since a young age.
"The problem with cancer is it affects the mind and spirit as well and my hope had become whisper thin, but then I remembered the walk I took as a child and how that was a time of adventure and hope," he said.
The five year anniversary was last December and the doctor declared me cured.
- Simon Harvey
When Mr Harvey was 15 years old he walked from Brisbane to Sydney, to escape a bad domestic situation at home and on his journey, he re-discovered a sense of self and hope.
"When I remembered that, it inspired me to do another walk and from that point, I started rebuilding hope," he said.
Thirty three days in, Mr Harvey is currently nearing Newcastle and predicts he may reach the Bega Valley in four weeks and then "six weeks to Melbourne beyond that."
Want to meet the Captain?
Mr Harvey said if there were any volunteer groups or individuals that would like to raise money to help him in his fundraiser, he'd be happy to stop in to meet them on his walk south.
"If anyone in your community wants to structure some of kind of mini fundraiser or even an individual wants to meet briefly and talk, they can contact me on Facebook," he said.
If this is of interest, he said it would be best to reach out via his Facebook page, Captain Australia's BIG WALK.
For people wanting to make a one of donation, you can visit Captain Australia's website.