The 4.5-hour time difference did not come in the way of the siblings. After gruelling chemotherapy sessions in Chandigarh, Vinod recovered fully.
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“But the impact of her sickness lingered on me.” says Malhotra
Five years ago, 71-year-old Dr Prabodh Malhotra’s life turned upside down when he learned of his sister Vinod Madhok’s breast cancer diagnosis. The Melbourne academic offered Vinod, who is based in Punjab, all the love and care she needed throughout her treatment. The 4.5-hour time difference did not come in the way of the siblings. After gruelling chemotherapy sessions in Chandigarh, Vinod recovered fully. “But the impact of her sickness lingered on me,” says Malhotra.
On November 13 this year, Malhotra began a challenging walk from the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to raise funds through this breast cancer fundraiser walk for the McGrath Foundation, and create awareness as well as bust myths around breast cancer. The Foundation currently funds 185 nurses across Australia, who have provided care and support to over 1,10,000 families and people diagnosed with breast cancer.
Malhotra’s flourishing career in academia saw him work as a lecturer at Swinburne University and Victoria University. He also taught at the Australian College of Kuwait
Six years ago, at 65, Malhotra retired only to set out on a new adventure this time.
Keeping his age in mind, he knew he had to undergo rigorous training before hitting the road for the breast cancer fundraiser walk
The approximately 50-day walk is taking Malhotra through Shepparton, Wangaratta, Beechworth, Jindabyne, Cooma, Canberra, Goulburn and Liverpool before ending at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on January 4, 2023. This day coincides with day one of Sydney’s Pink Test. Towards the end of this herculean task of completing 1,000 kilometres, Malhotra plans to raise $1,000,000.
Malhotra was born in a small town of Shahkot in Punjab. With big dreams in his eyes, he left the country at the age of 20 in 1973. He lived in Austria and Germany before migrating to Australia in 1980. “My first job in Australia was at a petrol station. Previously in Austria, I was a motor mechanic. But I always wanted to study, and when an opportunity arose, I did my degree, masters and a PhD in health economics in Australia,” he recalls.
Malhotra’s flourishing career in academia saw him work as a lecturer at Swinburne University and Victoria University. He also taught at the Australian College of Kuwait. Six years ago, at 65, Malhotra retired only to set out on a new adventure this time.
Keeping his age in mind, he knew he had to undergo rigorous training before hitting the road for the breast cancer fundraiser walk.
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