Shakira Cagnin and her 9 teammates are Chafing the Dream, One Wheelbarrow at a time!

17-year-old, Shakira Cagnin and her team mates have been raising funds for MS Queensland for two years now, in an extraordinarily unique fashion. In 2019, Shakira and her school friends participated in The Great Wheelbarrow Race, which sees the incredible team push an empty wheelbarrow along the ‘Wheelbarrow Way’ between Mareeba and Chillagoe (140km) in Far North Queensland over three consecutive days.

Best of all, their team name is Chafing the Dream. If that’s not dedication to the cause, we don’t know what is!

Shakira was inspired to fundraise for MS Queensland to support her Aunty, who has been living with progressive MS for 25 years.

“There is not yet a cause or cure for her or others in a similar situation... this inspired us to fundraise to help find a cure.” - Shakira Cagnin

The Wheelbarrow race is both physically and psychologically demanding- a huge challenge for Shakira and the team. Yet each year, they come together to accomplish something incredible – helping to change lives of people living with MS.

In the lead up to the 2019 Great Wheelbarrow Race, Shakira and her friends managed to raise over $3,500 for MS Queensland.  These funds have had an incredible impact for people living with MS, helping to keep the doors of one Wellbeing Centre open for 2.5 months so people can continue to access vital services close to their homes. Chafing the Dream were an amazing fundraising team, hosting a heap of different activities to raise their funds! They hosted a barefoot bowls night with their friends and community, put together raffles, hampers and even $100 and $500 boards.  Of course, sharing their MS Queensland online fundraising page was great for creating awareness and boosting their tally!

There are so many challenges across the state that you can take part in to raise funds for MS Queensland - Bridge to Brisbane, Gold Coast Marathon, Noosa Triathlon, our very own MS Brissie to the Bay, Cairns Marathon, Whitsundays Ocean Swim – and many more! How far are you willing to push yourself to give hope to the thousands of Queenslanders who are living with MS? Will you help make a difference?

"Get in contact with the MS Queensland fundraising team, they are a supportive team and can help in so many ways. But most importantly, just never give up!” - Shakira Cagnin