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Two Christchurch volunteers have been gifted a new title
to recognise a lifetime of dedicated service, which has seen
thousands of Kiwis provided a home-away-from-home when
needing life-saving medical treatment.
June Leeming
and Lew McIvor have been awarded Honorary Life Memberships
by the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust – the first recipients of
such an honour.
The Trust raises funds for life-saving
cancer research and owns and operates Ranui House, a
26-apartment complex that provides a home-away-from-home for
patients and families undergoing treatment at Christchurch
hospitals. The awarding of the Honorary Life Memberships at
a function on Thursday 8 December came as a surprise to both
Lew and June.
“I thought we were just going to the
Christmas function. To then be called up to receive this
special honour just blew me away,” says Lew.
Lew and
June were both instrumental in the establishment of the Bone
Marrow Cancer Trust in 1990. The Trust was initially set up
to raise $1 million for a Bone Marrow Cancer Unit at
Christchurch Hospital, but Lew, June and the other trustees
had a broader vision.
“We always knew the Bone
Marrow Transplant Unit wasn’t the end of our journey as we
realised patients would need somewhere to stay during their
treatment, which can last for months. We had to provide
accommodation and we wanted it to feel like a real home away
from home. So, we just kept fundraising,” says
June.
That fundraising financed the 26-apartments the
Trust has today, known as Ranui House, and the construction
currently underway of a new apartment complex in Selwyn
Street, which will double the Trust’s accommodation
capacity.
Bone Marrow Cancer Trust Chairman Max
Bremner says Lew and June’s incredible contribution has
shaped the Trust into the successful community asset it is
today.
“For more than 30 years Lew and June have
given an unwavering commitment to the Bone Marrow Cancer
Trust. They both have a pioneering, tenacious spirit and a
heartfelt passion to support those experiencing cancer or
other health conditions who need the care we can provide.
The awarding of this Honorary Life Membership recognises
their leadership, wisdom and dedication along with our
immense grattitude for all they have done,” says
Max.
Lew McIvor has been a Trustee on the Bone Marrow
Cancer Trust since its inception in 1990 and over that time
served five years as chairman. He has been instrumental in
negotiating the commercial arrangements which enabled the
development of Ranui House and the new Ranui
Apartments.
“With the changing nature of our health
system Christchurch is going to become an even larger hub
for treatment, with more and more people being treated as
day patients. The type of specialist accommodation the Trust
provides is going to become an essential part of our health
system.”
June Leeming has also been part of the
Trust since the beginning after being introduced to the
cause by her late husband Noel. June was a Trustee until
1999, when she became the Trust’s Patron. Over more than
30 years she has organised many significant fundraisers for
the Trust including, in the early days, hosting dinners and
auctions in her own home.
“From day one I knew the
Trust had incredible potential and it’s been a privilege
seeing it go from strength to strength. Every time I thought
about retiring I simply couldn’t do it as I realised I
would miss the Trust too much. Being part of the Bone Marrow
Cancer Trust has just been the most amazing experience,”
says
June.
© Scoop Media
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