Best mates Brian Harrison and Nick Gannon are ready to rally for cancer research in the 2024 Mystery Box Rally with Cancer Council this August.
Raising funds for much needed research, this Box Rally is no ordinary car race.
Brian and Nick, AKA “The Loose Screws”, will embark on a mystery route each day, only being told the days destination the morning of departure. They will travel from Airlie Beach, through to Brisbane, Stanthorpe, Warwick, Canungra, and the Gold Coast, before returning to Airlie Beach to cross the finish line. The real challenge of the race is making the 2,500km journey in a 25-year-old car along outback roads, hoping the vehicle will survive the round trip.
Hope is one thing Brian and Nick both know all too well.
Raising money for cancer is close to the men’s hearts, with both Brian and Nick’s mothers battling the illness for several years.
Brian’s mother, Maria, was first diagnosed with emphysema and three lung nodules in 2016.
Following a series of complications, she ended up in the intensive care unit, with the family being told to prepare for the worst. She recovered enough to return home and continue treatment, but in 2018 a tumour on her brain was found. The mass was removed, and Maria was able to continue with treatment.
Two years ago, Nick’s mother NAME was diagnosed with aggressive Acute Myeloid leukemia. She was advised to start treatment, though the doctors warned there was no guarantee for survival. As of April 2024, NAME and the family are still taking her treatment day by day.
“It’s been a very long and hard road to where she is now,” Nick said in a statement. “She has fought hard and is still fighting”.
Best friends of 23 years, Brian and Nick are proud and excited to take on this journey for their mothers, and the wider community fighting for vital research funds.
“Box rallies will fund some of the can most exciting cancer research projects across the country with the highest potential to significantly impact those affected by cancer” Nick and Brian shared in their statement.
While the men’s car journey may be a mystery, the final stop on the long and bumpy road is clear – seeing their mothers beat cancer.
To donate to The Loose Screw’s rally, visit https://2024.mysteryboxrally.com.au/the-loose-screws.
