Troy Stolz lives with stage four cancer, but that won't stop him walking from Scone to NSW Parliament to bring attention to maternity services in the bush.
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Mr Stolz, of Merriwa, plans to hand the "Save Scone Maternity Services" petition to Premier Chris Minns and Health Minister Ryan Park.
First he aims to complete the 282km distance over three weeks.
"My health hasn't been the best over the last four years. I'm really pushing the envelope. I think it'll be a walk, bike ride and crawl," said Mr Stolz, an Upper Hunter councillor and community advocate.
The petition, which has about 3000 signatures, raises concerns about the future of maternity services at the Scott Memorial Hospital in Scone.
"The only obstetrician in Scone intends to retire at the end of 2026," petitioner Kadee Jones wrote.
Hunter New England Health confirmed the departure of Dr Isobel Lang, while recognising her "significant contribution to maternity services in Scone over many years".
The health service said "recruitment for an obstetrician at Scone continues".
Mr Stolz said it would be "really concerning not to have maternity services in Scone, a local government shire of 14,000 people".
"Muswellbrook has 16,000 people and they don't have maternity services either. My understanding is you've got to go to Scone, Singleton, Tamworth or Maitland."
He said it felt like "we're in 1926, not 2026".
"We need to be increasing services, not decreasing them," he said.
Mr Stolz, 57, is planning to begin his epic challenge in spring.
"We still get some frosts here in Merriwa. Minus two degrees doesn't excite me," he quipped.
"I'll need a support crew. Anyone who wants to walk, ride or wheelchair with me is welcome. This is a regional issue."
Mr Stolz has cancer treatment every three weeks, so he'll need to complete the challenge in that time. He aims to cover 15km a day over three weeks.
In 2022, he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer that had spread to his bones. He's had 70 rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, plus 10 rounds of radiation.
"I'm meant to be dead now. They gave me weeks to months at best," he said.
"The walk will be tough and it'll hurt. I may fail, but the cause is that important to me."
Mr Stolz was delivered stillborn in Manly Hospital in 1969.
"I died and a doctor brought me back. Without that doctor, I wouldn't be here to tell this story," he said.
"I spent the next 10 days in a humidicrib, which gave me insight into the importance of maternity aftercare. The world moves in cycles and here I am now. I'll do whatever I can to help the cause."
Mr Stolz is known for standing up for big causes.
He was a whistleblower on money laundering in NSW clubs, while working as a compliance manager for ClubsNSW, an industry lobby group that represents clubs.
He raised concerns about a lack of compliance enabling organised crime to wash money through poker machines.
Mr Stolz said he believed he was put on this Earth to help people and "call the politicians out".
In 2023, he ran against Premier Chris Minns in the seat of Kogarah on a gambling reform platform.
As a cancer patient, he called last year for the Labor government to investigate what became known as the mould and maintenance scandal at the Calvary Mater in Newcastle.
Damon Cronshaw
Health and medicine, science, research, nutrition. Email: dcronshaw@newcastleherald.com.au
