There’s no cure or treatment for the nine-year-old’s rare, degenerative Vanishing White Matter Disease, but her parents Nyree and Grant Saxby are doing all in their power to change that.

Thanks to funds already raised through the Saving Chloe Saxby campaign, researchers are working on a cure, but more money is needed to speed up the process.

Mrs Saxby thanked the organisers of the Great Illawarra Walk, now in its 11th year, for supporting the cause.

“As a small charity raising funds for an extremely rare disease, it can be very difficult to get large scale support and the type of funding that we need to save Chloe’s life and children like her, which is why it is so important for us to receive support from the community and other organisations,” she said.

Thousands of people have participated in the annual event, and founder Chris Lovatt said organisers hoped to exceed 1000 walkers in 2018.

“The needs of children and young people are vitally important and we have been proudly supporting Illawarra children through this event for the past 11 years,” he said.

“One thing that is really important to us is the elimination of administration fees and charges.

“We rely on sponsorship and the efforts of a passionate team of volunteers to make the event go ahead. Everything we provide our walkers, including the walk t-shirt, is donated, which means the full registration fee and all subsequent donations are given to our chosen charity.”

Participants can choose to walk any distance between Shellharbour and Coalcliff during the March 17-18 event, with many opting for the full 100km over the two days.

To register visit www.greatillawarrawalk.com.