AFTER the death of one of their closest friends, Martin Piggott, who lost his battle to leukaemia two years ago, a group of paddlers have decided to honour his memory by highlighting the importance of donating blood when they take on the Dusi Canoe Marathon later this month.
In preparation for the marathon the group will don red shirts and kit out their canoes in red and with details for the SANBS blood bank in Durban North like they did last year.
This time around is no different as 40 paddlers, under the moniker ‘Piggy Paddlers’, will complete the three-day race to raise awareness of the blood shortage facing KZN and the country. Between them, the group has completed more than 400 Dusis and hopes to encourage as many paddlers and residents to donate blood to their nearest blood bank.
Durban North resident, Travis Wilkinson, explained what motivated the group to embark on the journey
“In his fight against this disease he was frequently delayed vital treatment due to the shortage of blood supplies and the all-important platelets required. At least 80 per cent of blood donated goes towards cancer patients and Martin’s transfusions were often delayed due to low blood stocks. Cancer is something very close to us all, we’ve all lost someone or know somebody who’s had the dreaded disease. We want to help raise awareness about the importance of giving blood on a regular basis,” he said.
Richard Philps, who also completed last year’s paddle for Martin, said he felt his spirit was with the group during the three -day race.
“Often out on the water you’d have time to reflect and think what would Martin have said, especially if we made a mistake. He was a jovial character and loved to laugh.
“I definitely felt his spirit out on the water. The goal for all of us is to keep raising awareness on the importance of blood donations. Every pint counts,” Richard said.
The duo who belong to the Kingfisher Canoe Club have also raised the stakes this year and are offering a carbon racing paddle to any paddler who goes down to the Durban North blood bank or any other branch and has their photo taken while in the chair.
Then post it on PIGGY Paddle Facebook page and you are entered.
