It was Dorothy’s neighbour, Kevin, who inspired her first donation to CatWalk.

Kevin was looking for a lost lamb when he rolled his quadbike and broke his spine. “I was concentrating on finding that last lamb,” he says. “I shot up a fairly steep slope and hit a rut. I somersaulted off the bike and landed on my backside, the quad tumbled on down the hill. I knew straight away that I was in big trouble.”

Kevin lay on that hillside for hours before his dad found him. When they finally got him to Waikato Hospital, he was told he’d never walk again.

On that farm just down the road, Dorothy watched Kevin determinedly rebuild his life. Wheelchairs aren’t designed for farming, and it was hard.

Over the years, Dorothy has helped Kevin and his family, and they’re still close friends. But she wanted to do more. So, when she came across CatWalk’s research, the work to heal the spinal cord, she made her first donation. She immediately understood that finding a cure would take time, so she also included CatWalk in her Will. Dorothy’s help in the search to find a cure will continue long into the future.

Dorothy is a bit of a legend – a giant in many ways. Among her many achievements, she’ll be remembered as the first woman to win a professional harness race in New Zealand (watch Trackside’s ‘Trailblazers’). She’s worked hard and been successful. She’s also a generous and thoughtful philanthropist. And though her Will, she’s building a legacy to be truly proud of.

Dorothy has now moved to the sunshine in Northland. But Kevin still runs that farm ‘down the road.’ He’s continued to work it and is happily married with three thriving children. He often speaks to farming groups about quad-bike safety.

Farming communities in New Zealand help each other. “It’s what we do,” says Dorothy. “But after Kevin’s accident, I realised what we really need is a cure.”

Dorothy supports several charities, so she worked with her lawyer to create her Will. If your wishes are simpler, you can make your Will online today – for free.

Write your Will for free.

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If you choose to include a gift to CatWalk, we’d be honoured. But this offer is here for you first and foremost: your life, your wishes, your legacy.

Thanks to our partnership with Gathered Here, you can now write your legal, online Will today. It only takes about 20 minutes, and it’s 100% free, forever.

If you’d like to get started, we’re here to help you every step of the way.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants — the supporters whose belief and generosity make tomorrow’s discoveries possible.”

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