The Ambassador is set to raise the bar by joining next week’s boldly named Shitbox Rally, taking the wheel for a grueling journey from Adelaide to Perth.
This challenging trek, through the unforgiving outback, is undertaken in a car notorious for its tendency to break down, all in the name of supporting cancer research, prevention, and treatment efforts.
In accordance with the rally’s guidelines, the Ambassador’s vehicle must be valued at under $1500. Her chosen steed? A 2004 Ford Falcon lovingly christened “Moonshot.”
“I’ve been so inspired by the people that I’ve met and across Australia working in the field of cancer research and treatment,” Kennedy told 60 Minutes.
“The rally is obviously, kind of a way for people to come together and recommit, raise funds, support the research.”
The fight for a cure for cancer is a cause close to Kennedy’s heart.
As the sole surviving child of former US President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, she has tragically not been spared from the devastating impact of cancer.
Her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, passed away in 1994 after battling Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, while her uncle, Ted Kennedy, lost his life to aggressive brain cancer in 2009.
“I’m sure that were they diagnosed today, maybe things would have evolved differently,” Kennedy said.
“I feel like it was one of the life-changing experiences for me as well. And of course I miss them every day, but I try to go forward with them in mind and they’re always with me.”
The Ambassador’s car is aptly named after her father’s iconic and visionary declaration in 1962 to land a man on the moon before the decade’s end.
President John F. Kennedy allocated substantial funds to this monumental endeavor, dubbing it the “Moonshot” initiative.
Echoing JFK’s spirit, US President Joe Biden introduced his own ambitious Moonshot initiative, inspired by his late son Beau’s battle with a brain tumor.
The Cancer Moonshot Initiative aims to honor Beau’s memory by striving to find a cure for cancer.
The overarching goal of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative is to reduce cancer mortality rates by at least 50 percent within the next 25 years.
“We’ve already made so much progress and I’ve met people who are alive today who never would have survived this long in the past,” Ambassador Kennedy explains.
“This is a really exciting time and we’re going to start to see the benefits of all these breakthroughs.”
The remarkable strides made in the quest for a cancer cure will be forefront in the Ambassador’s thoughts as she navigates the vast expanses of desert highway.
“The air conditioning works … the radio doesn’t work but that’s why we have our playlist,” she reassures us, of her car.
Indeed, even if “Moonshot” encounters mechanical issues, there will be a compelling soundtrack accompanying the journey, all in support of a noble cause.
