Patients rally on the racetrack
Southlanders battling terminal illness have enjoyed a fun day out at Teretonga Park, where they took part in the Race4Life Annual Track Day.
The event, held yesterday for the second time in Southland, gave those in palliative care the opportunity to ride in a race car, hop on a motorcycle and take a helicopter tour above Invercargill.
Race4Life Trust general manager Viv James said the trust had held events in Waikato for 13 years and expanded the event to Invercargill two years ago.
Hospice Southland day coordinator Shirley Smith said patients came from throughout Southland for the event.
Invercargill resident Graham Russell, who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, had raced motorcycles for
25 years but found it was harder to get out on a racetrack without support because of his illness.
Having battled the disease for seven years, Russell said he took every day as it came and days like Race4Life were special.
For Darrell Cunningham, who had stage four cancer of the kidney, the event was more about spending time with family as his daughter-in-law was the one to enjoy a motorcycle ride.
Cunningham had been living in Wellington but moved back to Southland when he was diagnosed a year ago and was now trying to make the most of the family time.
Dianne Olive, of Tisbury, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December said yesterday’s event was a good chance to take a break from the chemotherapy and have fun for the day.
‘‘You [have] got to make the most of each day. You don’t know what’s around the corner.’’