Iggy’s Army

We're Going The Distance to help patients with cancer at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse.

This September, we’re going the distance for our friend and my husband Igor. Lifehouse is a place of hope and with more funding hopefully means more cures which means people like Iggy can live longer lives and children like Tilly don’t have to lose a parent.

Cat Stalmachowski, Em Mattick, Clara, Sam Morrison, and I are stepping up. We are doing something we never thought we would — pushing our limits in honour of an extraordinary man.

In September 2024, my husband Igor was in ICU, fighting for his life. Hooked up to machines, surrounded by monitors and drains, he could barely walk. But every single day, I watched him try. He fought to get out of bed. He pushed to take just one lap around ICU, dragging all those tubes and wires with him, because giving up simply wasn't in his nature.

He finally made it out of ICU and back to the ward. We held onto hope. We believed we’d bring him home. But unfortunately complications took him from us quickly in the October.

These past months have been the most painful of my life. The grief has been heavy. The absence of Igor — my husband, my person — is beyond words.

But Igor was a force of light and strength. He never complained, not once, through nearly two years of chronic pain. He kept showing up to life. He kept walking. He kept trying to get back to the gym, and had high hopes of playing volleyball again (even with a new hip). He never stopped going the distance — even when every step hurt.

And now, we’re going the distance in his honour.

Honestly, Igor would laugh — running long distances or doing any form of long distance exercise is notmy thing. But this isn’t just for Iggy. This is for Tilly, too. To show her what strength looks like. What love, grit, and perseverance look like. What it means to carry someone’s spirit forward with you.

We're going the distance because Igor never stopped trying. And neither will we.

P.S. My “distance” will most likely be covered in laps at the pool — and Sam joked his might be carved out on a snowboard somewhere on the slopes. But regardless of how we each get there, we’re all going the distance together.

I’m incredibly grateful for this group of friends who continue to lift me up, keep me going, and walk (or swim… or snowboard) beside me through it all. Thank you for being a strength for Iggy and for me during some incredibly hard and sad times.

Lifehouse is a place of hope and with more funding hopefully means more cures which means people like Iggy can live longer lives and children like Tilly don’t have to lose a parent.

We're going to get moving every day in September to reach our goal for the month. With your support, every km we cover will ensure more people across NSW can access life-changing, specialist cancer care, in an environment that feels like home.

Please support us by making a donation. All donations will help Chris O’Brien Lifehouse provide compassionate, research-driven cancer care, as well as holistic support services that ease the burden of distance for regional patients.

Thank you for your support!