When 20-year-old Eli Black was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier this year, his world was turned upside down. But instead of letting cancer define him, Eli decided to turn his journey into a powerful act of hope — and movement.
Currently studying to become a teacher, Eli has set out to run 450km before his 21st birthday to raise $21,000 for the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation’s Regional Cancer Centre campaign. The number 450 isn’t random — it’s the number of Australians diagnosed with cancer every single day.
“In Australia, you see a lot of cancer diagnosis is towards the older population, whereas you don't expect a 20-year-old to be told that he has cancer one random day. I want to raise awareness for those younger people to reach out if they need support — that they're not alone. They have other people there who are also going through the same thing, and that can help,” Eli said. “I want to raise awareness for the younger community, like myself, who go from one day, working every day and living their own life to being flipped upside down.”
Eli has already completed the Gold Coast Half Marathon and is now training for the Sydney Marathon — which he’ll run on his 21st birthday, a milestone that will mark not only another year of life, but a celebration of strength and purpose.
At the time of writing, Eli has raised over $12,000 towards his goal. Every step he takes is for the fighters, the survivors, and the families walking the cancer journey.
“The Toowoomba Hospital staff are absolutely fantastic but it's the thought of being able to help build something for people, for thinking about people's future, even my own future — I might have to come back here. Giving back now will help a lot of people in the future.”
We were honoured to meet Eli and his mum Bobbie this week to share more of their story. Bobbie spoke about how unexpected and emotional the diagnosis was — and how proud the family is of the strength Eli has shown through treatment and training.
“There’s no history of cancer in our family, so to get the diagnosis was really scary,” she said.
“As a 20-year-old, sitting there with their mum and dad, they don’t want to have to talk about things like fertility. But we were incredibly grateful that all our appointments were set up [by Toowoomba Hospital staff], and we didn’t have to think about it in a time when everything turned black — you couldn’t think, and you needed people to think for you.”
“We are incredibly proud and we’re fully supportive of his run. Taking on fundraising $21,000 to mark his 21st birthday — to give back. It makes you feel super proud.”
With every kilometre logged, Eli is not just training for a marathon — he’s helping us build a future where cancer care is closer to home for local families.
Donate to Eli’s campaign and leave a message of encouragement below.
