Denise Moorhouse is cycling 739km for Blue September, riding 1km for each of the more than 700 Kiwi men who lose their lives to prostate cancer every year.
Denise Moorhouse is cycling 739km for Blue September, riding 1km for each of the more than 700 Kiwi men who lose their lives to prostate cancer every year.
A determined amputee is on a mission to raise awareness for one of New Zealand’s most diagnosed cancers.
Denise Moorhouse, 63, is cycling 739km for Blue September, riding 1km for each of the more than 700 Kiwi men who lose their lives to prostate cancer every year.
She will notlet her amputation stop her from living life to the fullest.
“Push on, and it will get easier over time.”
Moorhouse was in a high-speed car crash, which left her facing years of intense pain and more than a few unsuccessful operations.
“I was a victim of a head-on collision about 26 years ago, and they wanted to take my leg off at the time, but I had two preschool kids and was not very happy about that.”
Moorhouse told the Bay of Plenty Times she even had an ankle replacement, but “it didn’t work”.
Moorhouse said she had always been an active person and was too young to be sitting in a wheelchair.
“I had to get out and do things because if I just sat around, I would lose everything, become unfit and then unable to walk.”
She has already completed several testing challenges, often pushing herself to the limit.
“I push myself to do these things, and generally as soon as I’ve done them, my leg comes off and I’m sitting in the La-Z-Boy.”
Her first challenge was the Mt Everest challenge, which required 38 climbs up Mauao Mt Maunganui in 50 days. She doubled the challenge, completing 76 climbs in 46 days.
“I didn’t even know I could climb it; it was just a challenge for myself.”
Moorhouse walked 225km for bowel cancer in February, and this month chose to join Blue September, raising $1000 for friends fighting prostate cancer.
To support Blue September and Denise Moorhouse’s ride, visit the Blue September website.
Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
