The Daly family are the first to acknowledge this, having already had several intimate run-ins with the disease.

Justin is a survivor.

He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and fought for most of his early twenties to overcome it.

Sadly his younger sister Tara was not as lucky.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer and sarcoma, Tara passed away last year at the age of 43.

August marked one year since the Dalys were left to continue on without Tara, and this has now become an internal motivator for Justin to help others who are battling to overcome the cruel and unfair illness.

Justin will this month complete the Australian Great Cycle Challenge in an effort to raise money for the Children's Medical Research Institute.

Now a father to 12-year-old Hunter and 10-year-old Edward, Justin said one of the hardest parts of his cancer journey was seeing youngsters having to also battle through treatment.

"Back when I was at Peter Mac you'd walk through the kids' wards and it's pretty horrendous," he said.

"The kids are the bravest little things you've ever seen, because they don't know any different, which is sad.

"If we can help them out and make their life a bit better, it's worth it."

Justin originally set a target to ride 400 kilometres in October and raise $1000, but that goal was quickly achieved and has now been doubled.

Having a background in motorcross, he jumped on the bike 12 months ago and has been using the commute to work from Wodonga to Albury on the NSW-Victorian border as a form of training.

With a determined nature, Justin is focused on reaching his goal for the kids.

"If I don't get 1000km I'll be disappointed. So rain, hail or shine I'll just get out there and do it," he said.

Justin knows firsthand how crucial support from family and friends is when going through a challenging time, having had the backing of Tara and his parents as he traveled to Melbourne for treatment.

He's now feeling that warmth all over again as people put their hands up to assist him in his mission.

So far he's raised over $3000, is ninth in the state and is in the nation's top 20.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"I've been a bit overwhelmed with all of the responses from people that I haven't seen for 10 or 15 years," he said.

"They've seen it and donated money, which is really touching."

Justin's wife Cherie said she's proud of her husband and admitted the challenge had become a welcomed outlet as they commemorated Tara's anniversary.

The pair met when Justin had just finished treatment, and while healthy now, Cherie said cancer was never far from their thoughts.

"He was bald when we met for the first time," Cherie said.

"He's very diligent to keep up with his checks and make sure everything's OK.

"It's never far from your mind, and having children of our own, it's never far from your mind that they're parts of him as well.

"Everybody is touched by somebody with cancer, and it's really challenging with adults, so I can only imagine how challenging it must be to go through it with children.

"Whatever can go towards curing this so people don't have to go through it is the ultimate outcome."

With check-ups being put on the back-burner during the pandemic, Justin agreed it's a timely reminder to bring all aspects of health to the forefront.

"If you don't look after yourself then you can't look after anyone else," he said.

Looking back on his experiences, Justin believes he's been made stronger.

"If you can see the end and the light, it's all about positivity," he said.

"If your head's not in the game it's hard to get anything else working. I was one of the lucky ones."

For now he's firmly focused on creating a difference in the lives of sick kids.

You can donate to the Great Cycle Challenge via their website, with local riders such as Justin representing the Wodonga chapter.

Cherie said Tara would be proud of what her brother was achieving.

"She'd be so pleased with what he's doing," she said.