Chapter Eight : My Hero & My Sanctuary
Well, they say things happen in three's - after the accident and then needing a new engine Dory was back and such an incredible car to own and enjoy, but the enjoyment was short lived, as it wasn't long after all this my sister Helen was diagnosed with CNS Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a blood Cancer.
Helen spent a lot of her early years in the 18-30 club around the car scene - mostly for the social aspect of it - but it was incredible to have her involved with the local car club which I owned and having her come along to shows and events. She met some fantastic friends through the social circle, who she became life long friends with and even had them by her side at the end.
Right from the start of her illness to the very last breath, Helen kept face and always had a smile! She raised nearly £1500 for Macmillan Cancer Support with Brave The Shave and later this kindness that Helen had shown so many people over the years was returned, when over £5000 was raised to send her and her Husband Chris, along with their boys to Disneyland Paris!
This was a very special place to Helen, Chris had proposed to her on Main Street on a previous trip. Myself, my partner Kirsty and our entire family was lucky enough to go on the trip as well and to see Helen smile from ear to ear the whole time she was there was priceless. Sadly, we lost Helen a week after returning from DLP.
After we lost Helen it was a very difficult time for everyone in the family and everyone deals with their grief in different ways, never before had I understood the therapeutic benefits of going for a random, rather spirited drive in a mediocre fast vehicle with my partner Kirsty as DJ!
Whether it was a random road trip, fish and chips at the beach, visiting family or picking up the weekly shop - having Dory working as well as she was made it always a joy to be out in her driving and smiles per miles every time! We spent the summer of 2019 in two of our soon to become favourite places, The Peak District National Park and The Lincolnshire Wolds. Incredible roads with breathtaking scenery, not to mention great places to eat - a break from the norm and a chance to get away, being able to do this literally kept me sane and Dory being used.
It actually led me back to the show scene, as I plucked up the courage with Kirsty by my side to attend Performance Vauxhall Show 2019 at its new venue of Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, the first show I had done in 18 months! This was the only show I attended with Dory in 2019 and I'm glad I did, as we later found out that was the last ever PVS!
After returning from PVS, Dory went back to being enjoyed as a car - being used and abused, well maintained, continuously washed and detailed, regular weekend use and then went into hibernation at the end of the year. During the 3 months she was stored away whilst we had the torrential rain and flooding, a big decision had to be made - what was her future? Find out in the next chapter . . .