Tere Kiriau aged 48 has always been the active healthy type having been a representative player and enjoying almost every sport including soccer, rugby, basketball, outrigger canoeing, dragon boating and golf.
As well as playing sports Tere has also been a coach, mentor and founder of various clubs including the All Stars Basketball Club and Avaikinui Outrigger Canoe Club. With Tere, everything he has done has been about others.
In 2010 Tere's life took a sudden and unexpected turn that neither he nor his family ever contemplated. Tere was diagnosed with bowel cancer and although the chances of survival were good at the time, it seems that cancer has a mind of its own.
Despite being admitted to Wellington Hospital on 16th January 2012, Tere refuses to lay down his paddle and is enjoying the rest of his journey with his family and his mates. True to form, Tere along with his brother Numa have been spending time thinking of ways their experience with cancer can help others.
The result – Mates Paddle For Life.
The Mates Paddle For Life challenge is a 90 km paddle from Porirua Harbour to Frank Kitts Lagoon, Wellington. The event will finish up at Evans Bay on Friday 2nd March 2012 with a charity auction and banquet.
All proceeds will be going to the Cancer Society Wellington Division. As well as raising funds for charity, Tere and Numa also want to raise public awareness of the effects of cancer on patients, their families and friends.
They also want to highlight men's health issues by encouraging men to have regular health checks, especially if they are on the best side of 40 and have a family history of heart disease or cancer.
We invite you to climb aboard and join us on this journey. We will be adding video diaries leading up to the paddle including interviews with Tere, Numa and their mates who are coming back from all over the world in support of Tere and the Mates Paddle For Life.
Further information and opportunities to sponsor and donate can be found on www.matespaddleforlife.com
Family media contact:
Jez Kiriau 021 0745888
Email:
[email protected]