A Bunbury breast cancer survivor, wife, mother and teacher helped to raise $70,000 for the Breast Cancer Network Australia after walking more than 100km through Spain.
Leah Rando-Poller spent eight days trekking along the El Camino Trail with 13 other Australian women.
“Being a part of something that is much greater than myself is an essential component of my personal journey and essentially healing, not just the physical, but the psychological trauma as well,” she said.
“On a personal level it was quite humbling, because you see so many different people from different backgrounds and you learn a lot about yourself.
“It was pretty emotional, we had a range of ages from 42 to 67 in our group and to learn from the other women and realise what the money we were raising can do.”
Ms Rando-Poller said she was very grateful for the experience, which she described as enriching.
“You have a lot of time to think, to talk with others, but you’re in your own head and you get to nut out what is important in life.
“I think I’ve come back different, I’ve come back a bit more focused on what is significant in my immediate circle.
"It showed me that we spend a lot of time doing things we think we should not because we want to and I think that’s the biggest thing."
The group trekked around 25 kilometres a day with parts of the terrain harder than Ms Rando-Poller expected it to be.
“The track itself was like an enchanted forrest - to see the countryside not in the tourist lane gives you a deeper understanding of that culture," she said.
“You have to put all your worries and concerns and you leave it on the El Camino and when you come home you find that you’ve come to a resolution or you’ve come to peace with it.”
The only Western Australian to take part in the trek, Ms Rando-Poller is now back to full health and said she felt her diagnosis had changed her view on life.
“Having breast cancer pushed me to a different appreciation for time and life,” she said.
“It’s made me more aware of being able to give back and resilience."
