The Moodie Davitt Report today proudly unveils a global fundraiser and visibility campaign for cancer research – the KickCancerthon.
The event, to be held throughout February 2026, is a follow-up to The Moodie Davitt Report’s enormously successful pan-industry Moodie Multi-National Marathons, held in 2011 and 2012, which raised several hundred thousand US Dollars for Hand in Hand for Haiti.
KickCancerThon is the joint brainchild of Sinead Moodie, The Moodie Davitt Report’s Chief Operating Officer, and her father and company Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie.
As revealed in her recent Blog, which has attracted an extraordinary readership in the tens of thousands both direct and via LinkedIn, Sinead has been diagnosed with NUT Carcinoma Lung Cancer, an ultra-rare, ultra-aggressive variant of the disease. She is just 40, has been a non-smoker her whole life, has loving children of 5 and 2, and a devoted husband, Adrian.
In that Blog, Sinead wrote movingly: “If my talking about my illness can result in even one person having their cancer detected earlier or one person being saved or we can raise money for new treatment options for people in my position, then at least something good will come from all this bad. Cancer may not believe in karma, but I will make my own.”
And so the KickCancerThon is born. We are asking the travel retail and aviation communities to join us in raising funds for and visibility of cancer research or cancer treatment causes around the world.
It is a classic ‘Think Global, Act Local’ initiative.
The Moodie Davitt Report will profile each team and each chosen cancer cause as well as donating generously to our chosen beneficiary, The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity (for which we will be creating a dedicated fundraising page) in the UK (Sinead is being treated with consummate care and skill by The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, where Martin Moodie was treated in 2010 and 2011).
Unlike a traditional marathon, which is an individual sport run over 42.195 kilometres (26 miles & 385 yards), the KickCancerThon can be performed in teams of any size and can involve any means of athletic (or non-athletic) endeavour – running or walking, of course, but also swimming, rowing, cycling, dog-walking, skiing, roller-skating, sailing, surfing, sky diving, you name it.
And, as with The Moodie Multi-National Marathons, we encourage teams to participate in Instagrammable locations around the world and in suitable attire that reflects the passion, vibrancy and multi-national spirit of our industry.
Announcing the KickCancerThon, Sinead said: “I am so thankful to everyone in the industry who has sent me messages of support either directly or through my dad, especially those who are going through this horrible journey themselves or with loved ones.
“Today I started my fifth round of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, treatments that themselves have been developed and enhanced through research.
“I know that together we will be able to raise a huge amount of awareness and funds for cancer charities around the world and I am so proud and thankful to my colleagues for organising The Moodie Davitt KickCancerThon. We will raise awareness, we will support each other, and we will kick cancer!”
Martin Moodie added: “Sinead is my heroine. My rock who helped pull me through my own cancer 15 years ago and who is now staring down the beast herself with conviction and courage.
“We both know how challenging her battle is and we are not hiding from it. But just as research saved my life and will hopefully save Sinead’s, we are determined to do everything we can to ensure her situation is turned to positive effect in tackling this bully of a disease head on and helping to save the lives of others.”
One in five people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime while a far higher number will be affected by the disease impacting friends or family. And cancer is on the rise. Over 28 million new cancer cases are predicted annually by the year 2040, representing a significant increase from the estimated 20 million in 2022. However, thanks to medical research, survival rates are constantly improving too. For that research to be sustained, funding and visibility are critical.
*Full details of the Moodie Davitt KickCancerThon will be revealed in coming days. For now we simply ask the travel retail and aviation communities to start preparing their ideas, their causes and their teams.
SCENES FROM THE MOODIE MULTI-NATIONAL MARATHONS 2011 & 2012
