25-year-old Marcus Heironymus crossed the finish line at PA Hospital this week, completing an inspiring journey from Goondiwindi to raise money for the Sony Foundation.
It was an impressive 400-kilometre feat powered entirely by his feet, and sheer determination.
"When I got to Yelarbon, I thought, 'I've bitten off a lot here'. But by the time I got to Inglewood, I had so much support from the farmers and local communities that it allowed me to keep going."
He battled blisters, long stretches between towns and even equipment malfunctions.
"The front tyre of my cart slowly started disintegrating about halfway through, so it's been basically made of duct tape and zip ties for most of the journey.
"But I've been able to push through, and I’m here today at PA Hospital. It's great."
It’s the same hospital where Marcus received treatment for testicular cancer nine years ago.
"When I was going through cancer treatment at 16, the biggest concern I had wasn't exactly the cancer," he said.
"It was the impact it was going to have on my family. Being regional, we had to travel about four hours just to get the treatment I needed.”
Years later, Marcus learnt about Sony Foundation's You Can Stay program which provides free, uncapped accommodation in partnership with Quest Apartment Hotels for regional young Australians aged 15 - 29 and their families.
"I thought it would be good if all families had the option to use this, so I decided to raise some funds and try to recreate that journey while doing some good along the way."
He set out to raise $100,000 and ended up smashing that target with a final tally of $133,493. Some locals along the way even gave him cash in hand as he passed through.
Budget Direct contributed $25,000 in matched donations before making an additional $25,000 donation on the day.
“I’ve just been overwhelmed by the public response,” Marcus said.
"If I could have raised enough for a few nights' accommodation for one family going through treatment, that would have been more than enough.
"But the fact that this can help many more families is just absolutely phenomenal."
On Monday 17 August, family, friends and supporters gathered to welcome him across the finish line including representatives from Sony Foundation, Queensland Government, PA Hospital, Quest Apartment Hotels, Budget Direct, Rural Affinity and Nova 106.9.
It was many small steps for Marcus, one giant leap for families facing cancer treatment! A huge congratulations from everyone at PA Hospital and Metro South Health.