Community
28 February, 2025
Relay number 728 for Michael
MICHAEL Grayling is a cancer survivor of 44 years who is not one to sit still – in fact, last weekend marked his 728th Relay for Life.
Michael himself is somewhat of a walking relay baton.
Since 1999 he has dedicated his weekends to taking part in Relay events all over the country – and has personally donated around $72,000 over the years to Cancer Council.
And from his calculations, he has walked “somewhere around 200,000 laps.”
Michael wears his survivor sash with pride – and talks of his cancer battle, and survival, with a tear in his eye and a somewhat heavy heart.
Michael’s journey began more than four decades ago.
As a fit and healthy young man in his mid 20s, he was told he had testicular and lymphatic cancer and that he most likely had around six weeks to live.
“But I wasn’t having any of that,” he said.
“At the time I had a fiancé and we had the world at our feet. We had a future together and I wasn’t going to just lie down and die.”
But despite his optimism and his high spirits, Michael was also very much a realist.
“I had a vague idea of what lie ahead but one of the hardest decisions for me was to let my fiancé go – I knew I wouldn’t be able to have children of my own so I had to let her go. She now has two daughters with children of their own and we still stay in contact which is lovely.”
Along with the emotional toll, Michael said the physical pain, the fatigue, the sickness was something he would never like to relive.
“Back then cancer treatment was very harsh; I had 18 months of chemo hell but thankfully treatment nowadays is a little gentler,” he said.
“After my first eight weeks I couldn’t walk, couldn’t stand the smell of food mum was cooking and couldn’t eat – I went from a strong 67kg young man to about 35 kilos in the space of 10 weeks. There’s nothing worse than bringing up bile; I was a skeleton.”
Fast forward 40 years and Michael is today an image of strength, fitness and endurance.
Now 68 years old and living in Ringwood, he maintains a healthy lifestyle and travels to as many Relay for Life events as possible.
For this survivor, it is his chance to not only honour those who weren’t as fortunate as he, but to recognise those who also survived, who are undergoing treatment, and to raise funds and awareness in the hope of one day finding a cure.
Speaking from the Deakin University track last Saturday, Michael said it was an absolute honour to walk among participants of all ages.
“I came up on the train this morning and next weekend I’ll do the same and relay in Portland,” he said.
“I’m a Cancerian and I’m hopelessly emotional about it but that’s okay, tears are good.
“I hate the impact that cancer has on so many people. I have two friends who are battling cancer right now and they’re not doing so well and that hurts.
“I do this for each and every one of us that has been touched in some way. I’ve done all 22 relays in Warrnambool, same with Portland, and I will continue to do so until I’m no longer able. It’s a cause so very dear to my heart.”
By the end of 2025 this inspirational survivor is aiming to complete another 20 or so events.
“Life is too short to sit around and do nothing. I’m a very grateful survivor.”
