Fairfield, Australia -- An Abbotsbury woman awaiting a heart and lung transplant will risk her life to take part in a walkathon to raise funds for Christians fleeing the war-torn city of Mosul in Iraq. Organised by the Assyrian Church of the East Youth Association (ACEYA), Nina Kiwarkis has pledged to walk 10 minutes in the walkathon -- four minutes more than her doctors suggest she should do. She said she wanted to raise funds for Christians who have fled the city of Mosul/Nineveh because it had a "great" impact on her life. "My heart bleeds for my fellow Christian brothers and sisters -- the Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac people," she said. "They are in need of shelter, food and water, and they are in desperate need of immediate humanitarian aid. "Everything was taken from them, their homes, their cars and their life. They are destitute and homeless -- refugees in their own country." The one-hour walkathon will take place on September 28, starting at St Hurmizd Cathedral in Greenfield Park. Mrs Kiwarkis said she had family ties to Nineveh, which is why it was pivotal to raise awareness about what was taking place there. "These are the hottest months in Iraq, with 49 degrees Celsius," she said. "If humanitarian aid does not reach the region of Erbil and Dohuk, the people won't survive." See your ad here Mrs Kiwarkis hopes to raise $10,000 for the Assyrian Church of the East Relief Organisation's Mosul Appeal. To donate: 0413 594 221 or visit walkathon.syd.aceya.org/donate.