In December 2020, tanker driver Rod Rutherford was diagnosed with stage four renal clear cell cancer and given just six to nine months to live.
It’s been almost two years since then and the 59-year-old continues to defy the odds, including cycling 3800km from Bluff to Cape Reinga.
The epic five-month-long feat was inspired by a dream where Rod saw himself biking the length of Aotearoa spreading positivity.
“In the dream, I had a message to give people: ‘Life isn’t what you think it is. It’s not about the biggest car, the flash house or the greatest meals. It’s actually about the time you have and how you spend it,'” shares Rod.
When several weeks later his brother Arty called out of the blue offering an e-bike, it seemed like a sign to make his dream a reality.
But it came at a precarious time. Rod had just had brain surgery during the lockdown of August 2021 to remove two of his eight tumours and was still undergoing oral chemotherapy treatment for the remaining six.
‘Some of the scenery was so amazing, I reckon it took care of a few tumours’
While it’s an unconventional way to spend what could have been his last months, Rod knew he had to try and his wife Karen was immediately supportive.
“Between us, we have six children, and we’ve always told them to go off and have the adventure,” says Cambridge kindergarten teacher Karen, 39. “We had to put our own words into action and I knew he could do it.”
In February this year, Rod set off, starting in Bluff and traversing the country by bike for five months, with a quick stop back home in the Waikato halfway through the trip for medical checks.
There were plenty of challenges, including countless tyre repairs, a flooded tent and some uncomfortable nights on the ground, but Rod maintains it was the adventure of a lifetime.
“Some days were lonely and others filled with activity, but it really was the most wonderful experience,” he recalls.
Rod documented the life-changing adventure online and believes it may even have helped with his cancer recovery.
“A few places stand out,” reveals Rod, who largely rode alone, but was joined by Karen and Arty in the far north for the last four days. “One is Turihauā Beach, just out of Gisborne, where I sat and fished, and watched the world roll by. Some of the scenery was so amazing, I reckon it took care of a few tumours for me.”
The Fonterra truck driver raised more than $8000 for Cancer Society NZ, and was amazed by the kindness of those who also helped him with food and accommodation.
“If you go into any town, somebody will shake your hand,” he says. “I would get talking to people and they would just take me home for a meal.”
Rod is deeply motivated and when he and Karen sit down to talk to the Weekly from their Cambridge home, they’re brimming with so much enthusiasm, it’s easy to forget we’re talking about cancer.
“It was a big diagnosis and something that can shorten my life,” he admits. “But the reality is, you can only be as happy as you want to be and I just decided to live my life happy. When I wake up in the morning, I have no idea what the day will bring, but I know I’m grateful.”
Rod’s roadie took him five months
The first sign of sickness was a persistent cough that Karen kept asking him to get checked, followed by a scary episode where his sight in one eye turned to “pixelated, grey squares”.
In late 2020, testing revealed he had stage four renal clear cell cancer and eight tumours – four on his brain, one on his left lung, one on each ribcage and one on his kidney.
“Somehow, we’ve been able to find the bright side of it,” shares Karen. “The chemo pills have made his hair grey, so we laugh and call him Santa or Pops. There’s an age difference between us, but it’s more noticeable now.”
At this, the pair dissolve into laughter and Rod shares it was Karen’s infectious laugh that first caught his attention at a friend’s barbecue 15 years ago.
As he approaches 60, just two tumours remain, which the beloved granddad of 11 is still treating with oral chemotherapy.
There’s no certainty for the future, but Rod is adamant he’ll keep adventuring as long as he’s able too.
“My brother gave me such a wonderful bike, it would be a shame not to wear it out a bit more,” says Rod, who’s also intrigued by the idea of circumnavigating New Zealand by boat. “If I’ve got the health and time, I’ll keep going,” he asserts.
“I’ve realised so much of life is about adventure. Because we’ll all bow out one day and then there’ll be no more, so now’s the time for it.”
To donate to Cancer Society NZ, visit youcanforcancer.org.nz/rodslifecycle
