Be inspired

Meet the Marilyn Sisterhood

Find out more about what it means to be a Marilyn by meeting some of the amazing women in our community.

Sam

A sisterhood of support United by shared cancer experience, the Marilyns are determined to raise the funds that will change the future of cancer.

“It’s not every Sunday morning I get up and dress myself in white bathers and a blonde wig preparing to swim around Brighton Beach Jetty, but what a day it was! I didn’t realise how emotional it was going to be until I was gathered with all the other Marilyns. Each and every one of us has lost loved ones or battled cancer, while some of us are still trying to beat it. I felt I belonged. As I swam, I noted my family and friends on the jetty. To have them there was like icing on top of the cake. When my feet could finally touch the sandy bottom of the sea, I felt a lady grab my hand and together we all walked out of the water with pride ... Sisterhood at its best!”

—Sam Smithson, 2019 first-time Marilyn.