Cancer patient making most of life, with help from her friends
A DUNEDIN woman is seizing the day after she was diagnosed with brain tumours — taking part in a commitment ceremony with her partner this Queen’s Birthday Weekend and going on her first helicopter flight.
Learning she had the tumours came as a bitter blow to Mel Coakes, who had battled breast cancer, having radiation therapy and a double mastectomy, and been given the allclear last year.
Ms Coakes and her children Sophie Lynch (7) and Mason Lynch (5) took to the skies yesterday along with their neighbour Carla Porter, in a trip donated by Highland Helicopters after Ms Coakes’ interview with The Breeze radio station.
‘‘To get the opportunity was amazing,’’ she said.
On Saturday, Ms Coakes and partner John Lynch took part in the ceremony at Ms Porter’s home, attended by their friends and neighbours.
‘‘There are no words, to be honest,’’ she said of the event.
‘‘Everyone showed up. It was just great.’’
Ms Coakes said the helicopter ride, which took her over Otago Peninsula, including Larnach Castle, was ‘‘awesome’’. She also hoped to visit the albatross colony and do the Taieri Gorge Railway trip in the coming months.
Her children were initially ‘‘sceptical’’ about the helicopter ride but they ended up enjoying it, she said.
Ms Coakes was having chemotherapy ‘‘two weeks on and one week off’’, and she was feeling ‘‘OK’’, she said.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 and had surgery before a course of radiation treatment.
‘‘I got through that OK,’’ she said. ‘‘Then eight weeks ago I started to get migraines.’’
The migraines were so severe Ms Coakes ended up at the hospital, where a scan revealed her condition.
Ms Coakes’ longterm friends Sheryl Andrews and Angie Campbell banded together to try to fundraise for the family, to help them cope financially through the stressful time.
Ms Andrews said events in the community had been organised, such as a quiz night last weekend. A Givealittle page had raised more than $3800.
Ms Andrews described her friend as a ‘‘laidback’’ person and a ‘‘devoted and caring’’ mum.
‘‘She couldn’t believe what we are doing,’’ she said.
They hoped the money they raised would make it easier for Mr Lynch to stay at home and look after the children while their mother was in hospital.
Highland Helicopters chief pilot Paul Williams said it was good to be able to help someone in Ms Coakes’ position.
‘‘We also sponsor the flight every year for the Otago Medical Research Foundation charity auction,’’ he said.
Ms Porter said she was pleased to be able to help the Lynchs and Ms Coakes, who were a ‘‘very special family’’.