Brisbane Lions AFL Women’s star Kate McCarthy is taking on an inaugural feat of another kind when she participates in the first ever ‘Heart of Uralla 2017 Charity Ride’ this August.
The event, which sees McCarthy and 29 other riders take on a 415km bike ride across three days, will raise funds and awareness to critically needed heart health services for remote and rural Queensland communities.
“We’re raising money for the Heart of Australia ‘Heart Bus' – a bus that goes out to rural communities to provide different cardiac treatments and a providing a better chance of surviving heart disease,” said McCarthy.
21-year-old McCarthy has grown up with a pacemaker and takes on the ride driven by her own personal experiences.
“It is something that means a lot to me personally, as I have a pace maker, and if I was living out in a rural community when I had the issues that I had with my heart, I may not have got the treatment I needed or had the opportunity to play AFL at the highest level,” said McCarthy.
"I’m really passionate about it and I think that everyone should have the access to the healthcare they need regardless of where they live in Queensland.”
The ride will commence on Wednesday 16 August, riding through Toowoomba and Dalby and reaching altitudes of up to 2,000m above sea level, before finishing at the property ‘Uralla' in Meandarra, located in rural Queensland.
“It’s about raising awareness for rural heart disease and the care and intervention that people need and require in those regions,” said McCarthy.
Heart of Uralla 2017 is the inaugural fundraising and cycling event created by registered charity ‘Girls Got Heart’.
Girls Got Heart is led by founders, best friends and passionate cyclists Keely Mancini and Rebecca East who visited Meandarra for a charity event in 2016 where they were introduced to Dr Rolf Gomes (cardiologist and founder of Heart of Australia).
It was in Meandarra that they became aware of the struggles around the limited medical support in isolated country Queensland areas.
Kate McCarthy is looking to raise at least $1000 with funds raised by the Heart of Uralla 2017 ride going directly to the Heart of Australia – The Heart Bus.
You can donate to the cause through her fundraising page here.
