#iride4LACHIE
Developed in collaboration with Core Interiors, the iride4LACHIE stickers benefiting Peter Mac are designed to raise awareness for the Melbourne based Cancer Centre. Thank you to Peloton Cafe for providing this image and their support in this initiative.
In late 2013, in collaboration with Core Interiors, Chloe designed and produced the ‘i ride 4 LACHIE’ stickers, benefiting Peter Mac, in memory of her late brother-in-law, Lachlan Smith.
Lachie passed away after a long battle with a “one-in-a-million” sarcoma in October, 2013.
After first being diagnosed with the rare form of cancer that aggressively targets young people in 2006 Lachie was told there was only a ten percent chance that he would survive the initial treatment. He was 18. Despite this, Lachie never gave up and over the next 18 months he underwent 14 rounds of the strongest chemotherapy treatment available and seemed to make a remarkable recovery.
Throughout this time Lachie was treated at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. The only public hospital in Australia solely dedicated to cancer. It was the doctors at the centre, most notably Dr David Thomas, who helped Lachie beat that “one-in-a-million” cancer and go on to have almost five years in remission.
Tragically, in 2011 Lachie discovered a lump in his throat. Lachie’s world, and all those close to him, crumbled. The doctors told Lachie that he had small cancerous tumours growing in his throat and lungs. And the news just got worse.
Over the next two years Lachie, his parents, and my sister Chelsea made regular trips to Melbourne to visit the Peter Mac centre and Lachie and his doctors tried everything to help him make a second miraculous recovery.
While treatment after treatment failed, the cancer centre worked with Lachie to allow him to live his life to the fullest for his last two years. Prescribing a type of chemotherapy which could be taken orally Lachie was able to travel the world with his soon to be wife, Chelsea, and watch me compete in the London Olympics.
The foundation helped Lachie move all his treatment to Canberra so he could spend as much time in his new home, with his new wife and puppy as possible. While another section of the foundation helped Lachie return to the work force. Really just enabling him to have a normal life.
My sister. Chelsea, and Lachie on the side of the road cheering me on at the 2012 London Olympics.
The ‘i ride 4 LACHIE’ stickers are designed to raise awareness for this great hospital which did so much to help Lachie throughout his life while also remembering what an amazing and inspirational young man he was.
There are few people who could endure so much hardship and still have such a positive outlook on life and such an incredible will to live. Lachie was a man who’s kindness and infectious personality touched all who he met.
In the future we hope that these stickers can be used as a way to help raise money for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and much needed research into rare cancers which target young people.
The Director of Cancer Council NSW’s Cancer Research Division, Associate Professor Freddy Sitas says “We have seen remarkable changes in survival from cancers like breast cancer because of a lot of money is being poured into research in that area. We want to see money poured into these other cancers so we can see the same progress there,”
“A lot of researchers shy away from these cancers because they can’t see a clear research path going forward 10 or 15 years, which is what it normally takes for an embryonic idea to bear real fruit. Take, for example, Cancer of Unknown Primary. Which smart researcher is going to look at this rare and difficult cancer with a poor prognosis, unless there is a clear 10 year funding stream?”
If you would like to donate to Peter Mac please click here.
Or if you would like to support the ‘iride4LACHIE’ initiative like Paul Angelatos and the Providence Consulting Group please contact me.
Paul Angelatos of Providence Consulting Group rides for Lachie. You can too. Help raise awareness and funds for the Peter Mac Cancer Centre.
Chloe Hosking 