Queenstown adventure tourism leader Shotover Canyon Swing and Canyon Fox has been encouraging guests to unleash their inner hero to support “one of their own” in her fight against breast cancer.
Before the diagnosis – Bexie Bubbles, aka Rebecca van Dijk, having fun at Shotover Canyon Swing in Queenstown
When Bexie Bubbles (aka Rebecca van Dijk) worked at Shotover Canyon Swing she was renowned as “a bit of a legend”, then and even more so now.
Earlier this year she contacted the Canyon Swing team to let them know she had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of the cancer, luckily caught early and for which she is undergoing treatment.
Knowing that the company does an annual fundraiser for a charity of its choice, she asked if money could be raised for the charities that are helping her on her journey.
And that’s what they did, raising over $5000 by offering $10 extra swings for the month of June with 100% of monies raised going to Bexie’s chosen charities.
Guests pumped out 430 extra swings during the month, and $857 was raised in cash donations, bringing the total raised to $5157. Bexie is receiving treatment in Northland, so the money will be split between the Jim Carney Cancer Treatment Centre in Whangarei, Look Good Feel Better, Cancer society Northland and Shocking Pink.
“As soon as I found it was breast cancer, I knew I had a bit of a challenge ahead of me,” she says.
“Most people think breast cancer is one standard cancer, but there are different sub-categories. I have ‘triple negative breast cancer’, which about 15% of people have and they tend to be more aggressive than other types.
“When I got the diagnosis, the ‘not your average’ approach to life I gained from my degree at the University of Life via the Shotover Canyon Swing Campus took over, and I was straight into attack mode.
“Even before chemotherapy started I came across many charities which were ‘at the ready’ to help, and I knew just the place to help me give back to them.”
Shotover Canyon Swing General Manager Matt Hollyer says it was a “no brainer” to support their former staffer with their annual charity fundraiser.
“Bexie is one of those people you never forget, a right character in every sense of the word, and guests just loved her,” he says.
“It’s so characteristic of her to want to help the charities who’re supporting her in her fight, and we want nothing more than to see her Bexie Bubbles superpowers restored in full!”
Bex says there is no ‘normal’ way to deal with cancer so she has nicknamed it Brad, with her ‘girls’ called Thelma and Louise.
“I take the mickey out of Brad at every chance I get, and after chemotherapy I had an operation to evict him, followed by radiation. It’s getting no special treatment from me, I acknowledge it, do what I have to do, and get on with life.”
Shotover Canyon Swing and Canyon Fox runs an annual fundraising initiative to support local charities, picked each year by the company’s staff.
Check out the latest Shotover Canyon Swing and Canyon Fox video here or visit the website here.
This year’s chosen charities are:
The Jim Carney Cancer Treatment Centre in Whangarei, a state-of-the-art facility to save Northlanders the long trip to Auckland and back.
Look Good Feel Better, designed to help cancer patients enjoy a day away from the world of diagnosis and treatment.
Shocking Pink, on a mission to support young women through their journey with breast cancer, and out the other side.
Cancer Society Northland, working with communities from Kaiwaka to Cape Reinga, with core services in information and support, research and health promotion.
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