When Tawonga adventurer Eric Philips floated above Earth earlier this year, completing orbits over both the North and South Poles, the vastness of space wasn’t what struck him most.

It was a small moment – a call from orbit to home, when his sister Kathy’s face filled the screen.

“She was in the sun, sunglasses on. She was smiling. She said, ‘I can’t believe where you are. I can’t believe I’m talking to you when you’re in space and I’m on Earth.' That image of her face, that’s what stuck with me most,” Eric recalled.

Kathy was living with ovarian cancer at the time, diagnosed in 2018 with stage two serous carcinoma.

Despite treatment complications and setbacks, she never lost her positivity or her determination to keep moving.

A gym instructor by trade, she understood the power of staying active, even when her body was fighting against her.

“She never felt like it was a death sentence… she just kept going,” Eric said.

Eric, a professional polar explorer with 35 years’ experience guiding expeditions to the world’s extremes, found the call from space more than just a surreal family moment. His decades of polar experience had taken him from the ends of the Earth to the edge of space, but it was Kathy’s courage and advocacy that left the deepest mark.

“The best I could do was hold her hand and just be with her,” he said of Kathy’s final days.

Whether facing the extremes of the polar ice or the vastness of space, Eric has learned that courage, connection, and showing up for others make all the difference.

This November, he is inviting fellow Alpine Shire residents to move with him as he takes part in Workout 4 Women, a national movement led by Ovarian Cancer Australia.

Workout 4 Women is flexible and inclusive – participants can choose their own challenge of 40 km, 80 km, or 120 km and complete it in their own way, whether through daily walks, a few sessions each week, or building a new healthy habit to reach their goal.

Every kilometre moved and every dollar raised helps fund vital support services, ensuring no woman faces ovarian cancer alone.

For Eric, it’s more than fitness, it’s about honouring Kathy and showing that movement can be a lifeline, both physically and emotionally.

“To be active is extremely important for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing," he said.

"Once you start, you’ll build a habit that’s actually difficult to break.

"The hard part is just getting started.”

His advice to anyone considering joining in?

“Just do it. Once you commit, once you make that start, it becomes part of your daily life.”

He’s also clear this challenge isn’t just for women.

“Men are traditionally more closed off with these kinds of things… but that’s changing, and for the better," Eric said.

"For me, being part of my sister’s journey is deeply important.”

Eric’s journey from the polar ice to space might sound a world away from everyday life, but for him, the most important mission is here on Earth: raising awareness of ovarian cancer.

“Organisations like Ovarian Cancer Australia provide evidence-based information and support, and knowing there’s a whole community behind you means you don’t have to face it alone,” he said.

Like Eric, you can turn movement into meaning.

Take the first step and join Workout 4 Women today at workout.ovariancancer.net.au/signup.