MY NAME’S SEAN EWART
and I was born in Swan Hill,
northwest Victoria, where I
currently work as a disability
support worker.
Motorbikes have been a big
part of my life for a long time.
My earliest memories of riding
extend back 20 years to when I
was a 6-year-old. My parents,
Wes and Michelle, bought my
brother Josh and I a Yamaha
PeeWee 50 for Christmas.
From that moment I was
hooked and I’ve enjoyed racing
local motocross and
arenacross events as well as
hitting up local bush tracks.
I experienced a healthy,
happy childhood playing all
the usual sports such as
soccer, cricket, basketball and
Aussie rules.
In late June 2008 at the age
of 16, I discovered several
inflamed lumps on my lower
legs. I began feeling lethargic
and fatigued and couldn’t
attend school. What was first
thought to be glandular fever
was eventually diagnosed as
acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
I was now effectively fighting
for my life in the Royal
Children’s Hospital Melbourne.
Over the following six
months I endured five cycles of
potent chemotherapy with side
affects including infection, hair
loss, nausea, weight loss, heart
problems along with the
endless needles, blood tests,
marrow biopsies, isolation and
all the while I was unable to
return home. This treatment,
however, proved to be
ineffective and in May 2009 I
relapsed. It was devastating for
myself and my family, it
significantly reduced my
percentage of survival and so
once again I began the long
fight to save my life.
Unable to find a matching
bone marrow donor, I
underwent a stem celltransplant, this treatment was
considered rare at the time. I
spent 85 days in a specialised
isolation room only seeing the
outside world through a
window and having limited
access to family and visitors. In
December 2009 I was
considered in remission and
finally allowed to go home.
A number of organisations
provide various forms of
support for sick children and
their families. Make A Wish
Australia were there for me
and helped me cope with my
illness by providing plenty of
distractions. I feel eternally
grateful for the help they gave
me, and, as a result, want to
improve awareness and raise
support for Make A Wish
Australia. Without the support
of the community, thisorganisationwouldfindit
difficulttosurvive.
Likemostpeople,Ihavea
bucketlistofthingsIwantto
doinmylife,and,withmylove
ofmotorcycles,especially
dirtbikes,theTattsFinke
DesertRacehasbeenonthat
list for a long time. I have set
myself a challenge to mark ten
years’ cancer free of
competing in the 2019 Tatts
Finke Desert Race while
raising $10,000 for Make A
Wish Australia.
The iconic Tatts Finke Desert
Race is a torturous 460km
return trip from Alice Springs
to Aputula (Finke) and I hope
‘my ride to survive Finke’
campaign will help me raise
awareness for Make A Wish
Australia and assist in my fund-
raising effort.
The support of my local
community is strong, I have
some fantastic sponsors as
well as the support of my
partner, friends and family. I
currently ride a 2016 KTM
500EXC and I will achieve
what I’ve set out to do.SHOW YOUR
SUPPORT
Ifyouwanttosupport
Sean’sFinkeeffort,
headto:https://give.
everydayhero.com/au/
dreams-come-truehttp://www.adbmag.com.au MAY 2019 | 37
Finke
plightI HAVE A BUCKET LIST AND WITH MY LOVE
OF MOTORCYCLES, ESPECIALLY DIRT
BIKES, THE FINKE DESERT RACE HAS BEEN
ON MY BUCKET LIST FOR A LONG TIME.Words and Photos: Sean Ewart