Driven by the shining light that was Alana de Kort, a group of men aiming to honour her life and assist cancer research, took off this month on a 1500km jet ski journey, dropping into Noosa last week on the way.
Alana was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer, Ewings Sarcoma in 2017, and passed away 10 months later at just 14 years of age.
Alana’s family and friends poured messages of love for her into notes at her Celebration of Life and sent these out to sea from Long Reef Headland, NSW, in a little blue bottle.
One year after being told by doctors that there was nothing more they could do for Alana and four days before her death, Alana’s family received a call from the Cooper family in Agnes Waters to say they had found the blue bottle, intact.
The find bonded the families and was a sign to the de Korts that Alana’s legacy would live on. Blue Bottle was formed to turn the tide on cancer research to find and fund better treatment for children facing cancer.
Blue Bottle has joined forces with The Kids’ Cancer Project for the JetSki ride, Reef 2 Water, with Alana’s father, Paul, brother, Jake, taking part alongside Bob Cooper who discovered the blue bottle of messages.
The Kids’ Cancer Project funds research projects that investigate childhood cancer and treatment options and are asking people to donate to this fundraiser trip which began on 16 October at Long Reef with plans to end at Agnes Water on 29 October.
To donate visit blue-bottle.raisely.com/ or visit The KidsCancerProject on Facebook.
