FOR mum Renee Bradshaw, the Mother’s Day Classic has become an antidote to one of the toughest chapters of her life.
The annual event now holds deep personal meaning for the breast cancer survivor, who will take part for the eighth year and use the occasion to raise awareness and give back after her own cancer battle.
“I was diagnosed in 2018 with breast cancer, and I had no symptoms at all. And my mammogram didn’t pick it up at all,” she said.
“I was at the doctors with my boys. I thought I should get a check; it had been so long. My GP found the lump and sent me to the mammogram, which didn’t find it. So then when she referred me for an ultrasound, that’s what picked it up.”
At just 38, Renee, a support worker at Sages Cottage Farm in Baxter, said the news was hard to process.
“I mean, I was 38 years old, so of course, with the thinking, too young, can’t be me.”
Her treatment stretched over a year including six months of chemotherapy, preventative surgery to remove her ovaries, and a double mastectomy with reconstruction.
But it was during that battle that the Mother’s Day Classic took on new significance.
“While I was going through chemo, I’d heard about the Mother’s Day Classic in the past, but not that having gone through it before, I didn’t really take much notice. And then of course, once you’re going through it, all of a sudden, everything matters.”
Renee’s first event in 2019 came just weeks after major surgery, and looked a little different.
“My very first Mother’s Day Classic was only two weeks after I had my surgery. While I was in the hospital the day of, I ended up walking around the hospital ward with my IV pole and a pink feather boa,” she said.
“My friends who I was supposed to do it with brought me my medal and did it with me around the hospital ward and gave me my medal at the end, which was really cool.”
Since then, she has taken part every year, even completing the event on a treadmill during COVID, and has turned it into a family tradition, with her eldest son Charlie joining in while younger son Luke prefers to donate.
Her participation is also known for its humour and creativity, with costumes becoming a trademark, including a handmade “bra cape” worn during last year’s 8km walk.
Beyond the fun, Renee said her mission was clear.
“I really want to spread that awareness and make people know that it doesn’t discriminate with age or even gender,” she said.
Now a Mother’s Day Classic ambassador, she hopes sharing her story will remind others of the importance of early detection and community support – the very things that helped her through.
The Mother’s Day Classic will be held on 11 May.
To donate to Renee’s fundraiser for breast cancer research, visit: mothersdayclassic.com.au/fundraisers/reneebradshaw
First published in the Mornington News – 24 March 2026
