'At 59, my mum was diagnosed with brain cancer. This is the reality no one shares.'

Thanks to our brand partner, HBF

Simone Mendes considered her life "normal" until a sequence of worst-case scenarios turned her world upside down.

In May 2024, she welcomed her daughter prematurely at 33 weeks under emergency circumstances, and in October, the family were rocked by the brain cancer diagnosis of Simone's mother, Viviana Mendes.

"My mum is half-Sicilian and half-Croatian, and she's always been the strong one in the family. She's always at the gym exercising and she eats really healthily," Simone explained to Mamamia.

Image: Supplied.

"When we got the news about Mum, it wasn't something that we had ever contemplated as a family."

The family were consumed by unanswerable questions about the mass in Viviana's brain, which turned out to be a glioblastoma (GBT) tumour.

"When Mum first got the diagnosis she said, 'Why me?'" Simone recounted.

"With other cancers you can sometimes attribute lifestyle factors, but with brain cancer, they simply don't know. There's not enough research to understand what causes it."

So, as her way of contributing to funds for research, Simone will be running the HBF Run for a Reason Brooks Half Marathon on Sunday, May 25, using it as a platform for change. "I'll be raising money for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation," Simone said.

And she's not alone in wanting to raise vital funds for a cause close to her heart.

Some running alongside her will be chasing a personal best, while others are taking on the challenge with friends by their side. With options like the CommBank 3km, Specsavers 12km and the Brooks Half Marathon, there's a course for everyone.

"Research might not help my mum's generation, but it could make a difference for future ones — offering more answers for the next family facing this kind of diagnosis."

At the top of Simone's mind while she's training is her mum and daughter, Chiara.

"I think about Mum going through radiation, being so scared and not knowing what's going to happen," Simone said.

"Watching her sick from chemo or too tired to stay awake — that's her marathon. Not one you train for, but one she faces every single day."

Fear and exhaustion aren't the only hurdles Viviana faces, as her memory and communication dwindle.

"It's really hard for her to remember things. I'm grateful Chiara was born prior to the tumour coming along, so she remembers Chiara's name," Simone said.

"She doesn't remember my sister's daughter because she was born on November 1, 2024."

To make things even harder, Viviana developed expressive aphasia following a biopsy of the tumour.

"This means that when she tries to speak, the words don't come out right. For instance, if someone asks what she wants for dinner, she might say, 'I want a shoe'. Obviously, she doesn't mean a shoe, but she can't find the right word," Simone explained.

Facing these setbacks while trying to be there for her daughters as they step into motherhood was tough for Viviana, but the family is focusing on the positives.

"It's our two beautiful babies — mine and my sister's — that keep us going. For my mum, every day is about being here with them and making the most of her time with her grandchildren," Simone said.

Viviana also gets to see her daughter frequently following Simone's family's rushed relocation from Melbourne to Perth.

"My mum and I have a really special relationship," Simone explained.

"She's the one I turn to when I need help, and the one I love going out for drinks or lunch with."

"For my last half marathon, Mum couldn't be there because I ran in Canberra. This year, she's excited that she'll get to be at the finish line."

Join Simone and thousands of others at HBF Run for a Reason on Sunday, May 25 and support a cause that matters to you. Register here.

Feature Image: Supplied.

This year HBF Run for a Reason is all about your reason. Choose a cause that inspires you, set your fundraising goal, and rally your supporters to join the journey. This is community spirit at its best and it's why HBF has been running this event for the WA community since 2010. Get started today and turn your steps into support. Enter at hbfrun.com.au. We can't wait to see you at the start line on Sunday 25 May.