"They're the reason I'm able to do all this," she said.

And "all this" is a lot.

The mother of two from Duffy is preparing to compete in the world Ironman triathlon championships in Hawaii next month, nearly 18 months after she was diagnosed with stage three cancer.

She also runs a design and drafting business with her husband Jason and is mum to Teija, 12, and Gabe, 11, both children avid sportspeople in their own right.

And in between training for Hawaii and realising her dream to compete in the gruelling event she is focused on fundraising to get there, helped along by strangers who have since become friends, such as Tom Griffiths, who works at the local post office and simply wanted to lend a hand.

She is still $6000 off her fundraising target and hoping people can make a donation via her web page irontush.com.

"People's generosity has absolutely blown me away but it's also my motivation. I'm not only doing it for me, but for all the other people who have helped me," she said.

Mrs Gerebtzoff, 41, has tried for the last seven years to qualify for the Hawaiian Ironman, with only about 80 slots allocated worldwide for her age group (40-44).

Just five weeks before a major qualifying event in Port Macquarie last year, Mrs Gerebtzoff was diagnosed with cancer, almost by accident as the result of another routine procedure. She doesn't want to specify the type of cancer but says there were two kinds of cancerous cells found, one type aggressive and rare.

Her doctors wanted to operate immediately but she convinced them to let her compete in Port Macquarie. She was "having a blinder", leading her age group for the first 9½ hours of the race when 20 kilometres into the run she suffered severe leg cramps and was relegated to seventh position.

"At that point I was devastated but in hindsight I can see how everything happens for a reason because even if I had qualified for Hawaii, I wouldn't have been able to go because of the surgery and three months' recovery required," she said.

Now her dream is within reach, to line up with the world's best in Hawaii.

"That's kind of the one on everyone's bucket list," she said.

But the triathlon never gets easy – a four-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike ride and 42-kilometre run. A mental and physical challenge she likes to compare to childbirth.

"I think I'm just a sucker for hurting myself," she said, with a laugh.

"I've always needed to challenge myself. I'm not someone who will sit in front of the television and watch a movie. I've got to be achieving something all the time.

"It's also a great step away from your everyday life, like your work. It's just so challenging and it never gets easier. You think: 'If I get fitter, if I get faster, it will be easier.' But it never does.

"The thrill of crossing the finish line is something you can't really explain. It's right up there with having a baby in terms of achievement and the pain you go through.

"I ask myself why I do it every time I get to a starting line. It's addictive in a way."

With her daughter, Teija, an up-and-coming triathlete and son Gabe an avid mountain biker, Mrs Gerebtzoff also appreciates keeping healthy with her children and treasuring every day with them and her husband.

"At the moment, it seems I have a clean bill of health but you never know. I'm optimistic," she said.