Alex Kelly's Wild Kiwi multi sport event, raising funds for the Barnes family.

I'm Alex Kelly, 32 years old, married with two young children. I am challenging myself to the Northland Wild Kiwi multi sport event to support Rob Barnes, his wife Michelle and their young daughter Isla.

I will be competing in the individual event which consists of a 10km ocean kayak, 25km mountain bike, and a 14km trail run. It is a massive challenge for me as I have not completed a sporting event since High School.

The event is held on April 13th 2019 at Whangarei Heads, Northland.

If you want to know more about The Wild Kiwi event check out this link https://thewildkiwi.co.nz

Rob and Michelle have been married for 8yrs and have a young daughter, Isla, who is nearly 3yrs old. They are an amazing couple who would do anything for anyone.

In January 2018, Rob was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Multiple Myeloma, which is a cancer of the plasma cells. It’s uncommon in someone so young and unfortunately isn’t curable. It is however, a treatable cancer.

In the last 12 months Rob has battled through kidney failure, crushed vertebrae, radiation, 6 rounds of chemotherapy, stem cell harvesting and two stem cell transplants. He’s finally in remission and able to enjoy time with his daughter and wife which is an amazing achievement.

However, he has a further 3 rounds of chemotherapy and ongoing maintenance drugs to try and extend the remission period for as long as possible given the aggressive nature of his cancer.

Unfortunately, the maintenance treatment that provides the best chance is not funded in his case and costs upwards of $20,000 - $25,000.

I'm completing this event to raise as much money as possible to help Rob and his family with the ongoing costs associated with his treatment.