In a bit over a week, in May 2024, Sarah Wheeler and her horses - Shifty and Sally - will set out on The Outback Long Ride, a 5,500km journey through Outback NSW and QLD honouring the lives of her late parents and raising funds and awareness for upper GI cancers through the Pancare Foundation and for her own charity, A Daughter's Way which will support families and individuals suffering tragic loss and grief.

Sarah is one of four girls in the Wheeler family who've suffered through incredible heartache and grief after losing both their parents. Their mother Terri died from biliary cancer and their father Gavin died in 2010 suddenly and unexpectedly from an enlarged heart.

Sarah says feeling broken and lost in the wake of losing two parents in such a short time and so young that, she just knew she wanted to do 'something meaningful and something that would help her to find focus and healing' while helping and inspiring others to do the same.

For her, The Outback Long Ride is the answer to that soul searching and will spread awareness far and wide for her future endeavours of her own charity 'A Daughter's Way'; where she aims to create all expenses paid weekend to 7 day retreats, group camps or group expeditions run by trained mental health professionals, and developed by clinical psychologists and so much more for rural and regional families experiencing grief and loss in Australia.

Sarah's looking forward to hopefully meeting lots of people along the way over the next 9-12 months as well as documenting her travels through photography that she's aiming to turn into a coffee table book, an exhibition and maybe even a documentary.

You can Donate to The Long Outback Ride's page at the Pancare Foundation here.

You can follow The Outback Long Ride at @_beneaththebrim on Instagram

Or here on Facebook

The Outback Long Ride; YouTube

To support low survival Upper GI Cancers go to pancare.org.au