Cancer kids love flying with Richie
Jonty Clare, 2, murmurs ‘‘helicopter, helicopter’’ from his father’s lap and peers over him to get a better view from his spot behind rugby legend Richie McCaw.
McCaw had whisked Jonty, Edward Nye, 12, and Lydia Benner, 16, off on a sky-high tour of Christchurch. The Thursday afternoon helicopter outing was a rare treat for the three, who each have brain cancer.
Benner ‘‘freaked out’’ when she missed a call from the trip organiser, surgeon Jim Worthington. Since the West Coast family discovered her tumour four years ago, they have travelled back and forth to Christchurch for treatment. Usually a call from an expert carries bad news.
‘‘I just thought oh no, what’s happened to my tumour now.’’ When she called back, he offered her a spot on board the flight.
‘‘It was a massive amazing surprise and when you’re up there it’s surprisingly much smoother than a plane. I just want to do it again now.’’
Edward rode shotgun. He was so chuffed with the trip he wants to become a pilot – ‘‘an expensive hobby’’, McCaw warned.
When the youngster got out with a grin and steady feet, it was hard to tell it was his first time in a helicopter.
That was not the case for everyone, McCaw said.
‘‘A few come off a bit green and wide-eyed, but this lot have done great. That’s why we try and get the photos done beforehand, just in case.
‘‘Sometimes you take flying for granted, but on days like these you realise not everyone gets to go up in a helicopter every day,’’ McCaw said.
The White Matter Brain Cancer Trust, an organisation providing support to cancer sufferers and their families, gifted the ride.
Trustee Jim Worthington bought the prize, donated by Christchurch Helicopters chief executive Terry Murdoch, at a fundraiser auction.
A 25-year-old woman has been charged with threatening to kill and kidnapping following a hostage situation which ended when armed offenders squad members stormed a Lower Hutt flat on Thursday. The woman appeared in the Hutt Valley District Court yesterday and was granted interim name suppression. She has also been charged with assault with a weapon. She will reappear in court on August 31. The accused and a 47-year-old woman were treated in Hutt Hospital following the incident.
A teenage girl critically injured in a South Auckland house fire has died after spending two months in hospital. The explosion which ripped through the Otara home on June 13 was most likely caused by leftover fumes from petrol sniffing, fire investigator Terry Jordan said at the time. Four people were burned, with 15-year-old Kelly Amani the most critically injured. She died on August 11.