We are a community which cares for its own.

This weekend is a perfect case in point.

Over Saturday and Sunday the community will come together for the Great Illawarra Walk.

The event sees participants walk one kilometre or 100 kilometres for a good cause on either the Saturday or the Sunday.

The walk will start at Shellharbour Village on Saturday morning with walkers trekking 50km to Coalcliff Surf Club.

The walk will take place in the reverse direction (Coalcliff to Shellharbour) on the Sunday.

This year, the funds raise will aid a special member of our community.

Chloe Saxby is a local girl who was diagnosed some six years ago with Vanishing White Matter Disease, a rare and degenerative brain disease. As yet there is no cure or treatment available.

The Saving Chloe Saxby campaign, which has been widely publicised and supported through this community, is hoping to change that by helping to facilitate research at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute.

Researchers at IHMRI hope new developments in stem cell research could unlock the answer to the condition and in turn a treatment.

There are only seven children in Australia diagnosed with this condition and only 170 worldwide.

The Great Illawarra Walk is hoping to raise $150,000 for Saving Chloe Saxby and even before a step has been taken at the weekend close to $50,000 has been raised by the over 400 register walkers.

Speaking to the Illawarra Mercury last year, Chloe’s mum Nyree toldof the anguish of watching her precious girl suffer with this “monster of a disease”.

A disease which had robbed Chloe of her ability to walk. A disease which will eventually paralyse her body to the point she can no longer hold her head up, talk, see, hear or eat.

“The hardest part as a parent is to watch my precious little girl die in front of my eyes,‘’ Nyree  said.  ‘’I refuse to let this happen.’

 If you can, give generously to those taking part in the Great Illawarra Walk this weekend.

You can read more at www.greatillawarrawalk.com