Marathon row for brave little girl

Duncan Rae (45), of Dunedin, rows another metre closer to his million-metre challenge target, to raise funds for his niece, Jess Hermansen, who has acute myeloid leukaemia. Photo by Jane Dawber.

As an accountant, Duncan Rae knows the numbers.

The 45-year-old Dunedin man has started a 100-day challenge to row 10km a day in an effort to complete a million metres by September 25.

"But numbers aside, I am doing this for my niece."

From her bed at Starship Hospital in Auckland, Jess Hermansen (6) is following the progress of her uncle.

A week before Christmas, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, which affects, on average, around seven children in New Zealand each year.

"It just breaks your heart," Mr Rae said.

Jess Hermansen.

Despite intensive treatments, including chemotherapy injected into the spinal fluid and a stem-cell transplant last month, she remained incredibly strong and positive, he said.

Wanting to help, he started rowing to raise money to help Jess and her Napier family, who have taken extended unpaid leave and moved to Auckland.

"What I am doing is nothing compared to what she is doing.

"I was going to take a day off when I began this, but she doesn't get time off, so I will do 100 days straight."

With a few blisters and a neck problem since he began rowing at Absolute Health and Fitness last Monday, Mr Rae remains determined to complete his daily task, even when he attends a conference in Melbourne next month.