MEMORIES of his five-year-old cousin who died from cancer will be at the forefront of Ben Rogers’ mind when he runs from Melbourne to Adelaide.

The Aldinga resident will set off on Sunday, April 13, on his One Step Closer fundraiser to raise money for Cancer Council SA.

Mr Rogers, 33, says eight of his friends are battling cancer, prompting him to start planning the fundraiser 12 months ago.

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“Then, even more recently, my five-year-old cousin Nate passed away from an unknown and undiagnosed form of lymphoma,” he says.

“The doctors had just done a blood test when he died.

“It was then that they found his body riddled with lymphoma.”

Mr Rogers says he hopes the One Step Closer run will raise $30,000.

“The fundraiser name came from a friend whose mum passed away from ovarian cancer,” he says.

“Its meaning is one step closer to beating cancer and one step closer to being home.”

Mr Rogers says the 750km run, which he will complete over 14 days, will be challenging but is nothing in comparison to the fights facing cancer sufferers.

“Knowing what they’re battling gives me a whole range of energy when I feel like it’s time to pull the pin and give up,” he says.

“Until I started training the longest distance I’d ran was the City to Bay (12km) and I struggled through that.”

Cancer Council SA chief executive Professor Brenda Wilson says Mr Rogers’ is inspiring.

“Because of the support of Mr Rogers – and people like him – cancer survival rates are increasing, patient support is improving and prevention campaigns are working,” Prof Wilson says.

To donate go to onestepcloser.com.au

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Originally published as Personal heartache spurs 750km run