Hamish’s journey from immobility to walking 10km

A Nelson man who just a few years ago did not have the use of his legs is gearing up to walk 10km in support of his friend’s cancer journey.

Hamish Kennedy says he was a severe alcoholic when the left and right sides of his brain stopped talking to each other, causing him to lose the ability to walk or use his legs at all.

Four years ago he joined Nelson’s City Fitness where he met manager Odette Watson, a person he says is an inspiration to himself and others and helped him with his journey to get his body working again.

“I drank an awful lot but then I started going to the gym where I met Odette, who is just so inspirational.”

Not only was Odette a strong support to get Hamish walking again, she also began her own battle after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

“I was really tired and not well for about a year but I thought it was just stress,” Odette says.

Then she noticed that her nipple had inverted so went and got it checked immediately.

At the time of the appointment she was told she had breast cancer.

“They knew straight away, it was a shock and then I had to teach a class immediately afterwards, it was the hardest class I’ve ever taught. It was pretty surreal.”

Odette opted to have her whole breast removed, a decision that ultimately saved her from radiation and chemotherapy, as it was caught early on.

Odette, Hamish, and the CityFity team will walk for the Cancer Society’s Relay for Life - Relay Your Way, with the team walking in pairs for six hours around the fields at Tāhunanui Reserve on Saturday, 2 April.

Cancer Society is unable to hold Relay For Life the normal way this year, so are encouraging people to relay their own way.

Hamish says he’s going to walk 10km in support of his friend. Using a shopping trolley for support, he hopes it will encourage the local supermarket to sponsor him.

Hamish spent many years fundraising for hospice and jokes that he always looked at Relay for Life as a competition, but his friendship with Odette and the journey she is going through has given him a new view of the fundraiser.

Hamish says going to the gym for two hours, twice a day, has changed his life.
This is not the first time Odette has participated in Relay for Life, previously stepping up to support friends and family.

However, this year she’s doing it to say thank you to the Nelson Cancer Society, who supported her through the journey.

“I don’t think I would’ve got through it without them.”

She says she gets emotional thinking about the fundraising support they have had so far.

“I’m very thankful for the support of the Cancer Society, they connected me with a lot of other networks that helped me, including physio and counselling.”

While Odette’s cancer is gone, she says she is still coming to terms with the body she has been left with.

“I can look at my chest now. At first I couldn’t, but it’s still not me, it’s numb and just not me, but I’m very grateful.”

You can donate to Odette and the CityFity team here.