In April 2019, 30-year-old Loreta Taylor fulfilled her wish to spend some special time away with her young family before she passed away. This brave young woman with terminal cancer travelled from the family home in Auckland’s North Shore to Queenstown, for a luxury holiday with her husband Mark and two children Charlie and Anabelle. This was all made possible by the Race4Life Trust, an organisation that was first established in 2015 in New Zealand.
Race4Life delivers a wish service and provision of special events and activities to engage adult palliative care patients throughout New Zealand. Fulfilling wishes enables people with a terminal illness to realize their dreams and create memories that they and their families can cherish. These special experiences promote positive wellbeing, often providing light when all hope may have been lost. As a result, these special wishes have a very profound impact on patients, their families, and the wider community.
Over 600 wishes have been granted since Viv James first began the Race4Life Trust in 2015. From 2015 until March 2020 the staff grew to 9 full and part time workers. A strong passion and enthusiasm for this beautiful work, along with an understanding of the profound impact the service has on patients, families and communities throughout NZ, being the life blood of the staff.