This year's Mother's Day Classic event was a wonderful way for Canberrans to celebrate the occasion with their families, but it was also a reminder that so many have been touched by breast cancer and loss.
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Leah Yaxley has been breast cancer-free for two years, and walked the five-kilometre leg of the event at Lake Burley Griffin on Sunday with her children Lachlan, Sophie and Tayla Brassington, and her mother Angie Lalic.
She was particularly touched when seven-year-old Tayla turned to her and said: "Mummy, everyone has their own story here, don't they?"
"I said, 'My babe, they really do'," Ms Yaxley said.
"There were some people who were crying, there were some who were just overwhelmed with joy.
"It was really uplifting to be a part of it."
Nearly 2000 people attended this year's Mother's Day Classic events in Canberra, opting to run or walk five or 10 kilometres around Lake Burley Griffin or Lake Ginninderra on Sunday, or complete the stretch at a route of their choosing. Proceeds from the event were donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Ms Yaxley said the 2021 event was the first time her family had attended, and she wanted it to become a tradition for every Mother's Day to come. Her aunty was currently battling breast cancer.
"I got home and I said to my partner, 'I want this to be a tradition for our children for one day when I'm not here anymore, that they'll always go down to the Mother's Day Classic'," Ms Yaxley said.
"Pink will be the colour that they wear and they'll remember being at that start line with mum for many years.
"It's a beautiful way to start a tradition with your family for such a good cause."
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Felicity de Fombelle was still down by Lake Burley Griffin on Sunday afternoon, well after the Mother's Day Classic event had finished. A barbecue was cooking and she and her friends' children were climbing trees and enjoying their time in the sun.
Mrs de Fombelle has four boys: Thibault, Arnaud, Eric and Etienne de Fombelle. Etienne tragically died in June 2019.
Mrs de Fombelle was surrounded by loving friends and family on Sunday, all of whom hailed from France and felt thankful to be spending Mother's Day in a place like Canberra. Some in the group taught at Telopea Park School, and some were in Canberra on postings from France.
"France has recently just gone back into lockdown and the children are doing homeschooling, so you can imagine for them, it's quite a dream to be here now," Mrs de Fombelle said.
"We go to France every year and and our boys go to school in France.
"Life is so much better here, so we're just so blessed to live in, not just Australia, but particularly Canberra [because it] is such a standout for quality of life."
Mrs de Fombelle said her mother died from breast cancer, and the event was a reminder that the disease affected so many people.
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