Dave Keating needs a hand this weekend.
It's not a do-it-yourself retaining wall and he's not expecting any Aussies called Jonesy to step up. As the TV ad says 'you gotta be joking.” But a local truckie with a HIAB, a spare hour and oodles of goodwill would be a blessing.
Here's Dave's problem. He has a granddaughter called Skyla and 22 months ago, just before her 5th birthday, she was diagnosed with DIPG – cancerous tumors on the brain stem. DIPG strikes kids between the age of five and seven and the prognosis isn't good – after radiation, life expectancy is, at best, 19 months.
'Make-A-Wish Foundation gave Skyla a playhouse,” says grandad Dave. 'It's a substantial wooden building two metres by three metres and two metres high. Very cool.”
But because Skyla started losing her balance and her c-ordination she and Mum Angie had to move to a new, safer house in Maungatapu, leaving the playhouse behind. Grandad says a sick Skyla needs to be re-united with her playhouse but he needs a hand.
'The playhouse is sturdily made and using a HIAB to lift it over our fence onto a transporter would seem the best option rather than dismantling it.”
So a truck with a crane would make life easier for Dave and make a sick little girl very happy. Email him at dave.tracey1017@gmail.com