'Thank you for the overwhelming support'

I wanted to use this column on starnews.co.nz and in The Star to say thank you for the overwhelming messages of comfort and support I have received since Rob died, and the generous contributions that have been made to the Aranui Community Trust in his name.

As the chairman of the trust since its inception almost 20 years ago, Rob was a passionate champion for the people of Aranui achieving their full potential.

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He helped lead an incredible grass roots organisation that represents the very best of ground up community development.

As you know Rob was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago.

We were at the Cancer Society Ball just a matter of weeks before that day, where we heard that around 60 people a day are told they have cancer.

Little did we imagine that we would soon be beginning the same journey that was described to us that night.

There is nothing that fully prepares you for the diagnosis or the ups and downs of treatment. Rob responded well to treatment initially – and we felt secure in the belief that we had years ahead of us.

But it was not to be.

It has caused me to think about whether we could have had Rob diagnosed sooner. Were there symptoms that might have alerted us to have a test? I’m not going into details here – but have a look for yourself https://prostate.org.nz/symptoms-diagnosis/.

Next Tuesday is the beginning of Blue September, which is the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s annual awareness and fundraising campaign.

Maybe you could get involved in one of the ‘Blue Dos’ that will be happening around the place.

And of course, Friday, August 28 is the Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day creating a poignant reminder of where Rob and I were just two years ago. 

Thank you once more.