Cancer patient pair create ‘battle bus’ to help out other patients and families
Two cancer patients who met by chance during a session of chemotherapy have launched project to create a battle bus for other patients and their families.
Ian Pierce, 58, from Chirk and Tony Evans, 64, from Corwen, are converting an old bus into a hub to provide advice for cancer patients and somewhere for them and their families to get help and support.
In the long term they are hoping the bus can even be used as a camper bus for families to be able to have short break respite.
Both Ian, a mechanic and sheep farmer, and businessman Tony, are receiving palliative care at the Shooting Star Unit at Wrexham Maelor Hospital and during a chemotherapy session they struck up an immediate friendship.
The single-decker bus had already been bought for the project by Tony, who has a shop in Corwen devoted to upcycling goods.
Tony will be selling up in his Lucky Man shop next Saturday to raise funds for the Battle Bus.
He said: "I live by the mantra that, despite the cancer, I am a lucky man in life."
Ian, who said he was in a dark place when he met Tony, said that they discovered a mutual desire to want to give back at a time in their life, catalysed by finding themselves also very much in need.
He said: "We want to take the bus out to Oswestry, Wrexham, Llangollen, Chirk, Corwen and other places, so we can provide a hub to meet up with other cancer sufferers that are on chemotherapy or about to start it.
"They can have a coffee and a chat, share stories and generally support each other. The bus will have seating both inside and outside under a gazebo in warmer weather and, so important to chemo patients, a toilet.
"There is so much you only find out about chemo when you start on it and to talk to others who understand it so important."
Tony said the owner of the bus was a full qualified mechanic who has already done a considerable amount of work in order to bring it to road-worthy standard.
However currently the bus has no MOT or tax and the first job for fundraising will be to pay for this.
Other funding will go towards its conversion.
People can donate to the fundraising online at justgiving.com/campaign/lucky-man-bus.
