The Star: July 11, 2024
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Thursday <strong>July</strong> <strong>11</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
8<br />
NEWS<br />
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
Mum’s heartfelt news: ‘Our loved<br />
About 9500 Kiwis<br />
die of cancer every<br />
year. Promising<br />
harness racing trainer<br />
driver Katie Cox has<br />
become one of them,<br />
succumbing to lung<br />
cancer late last week<br />
“IT IS WITH the heaviest of<br />
broken hearts our loved Katie<br />
passed peacefully away this<br />
morning.”<br />
That is how Cox’s mother<br />
Wendy broke the news on<br />
Facebook last week after the<br />
34-year-old, who had huge public<br />
support, lost her battle with<br />
cancer.<br />
Cox had been diagnosed with<br />
a rare form of lung cancer in<br />
October, which prompted a Canterbury<br />
harness racing industry<br />
fundraiser for medication she<br />
needed to fight the disease.<br />
Cox had started to go downhill<br />
early last week.<br />
Said Wendy: “<strong>The</strong> high dose of<br />
steroids she was on to deal with<br />
the toxicity in her lungs showed<br />
a form of pneumonia on Monday<br />
from the blood test and CT scan.<br />
That night she started on strong<br />
antibiotics and knew the next<br />
four days were going to be difficult<br />
to get through.<br />
“As determined as she was,<br />
CANCER BATTLE: Katie Cox with Spy Da Moment in November. Cox lost her battle with<br />
lung cancer last week.<br />
PHOTO: DANIEL ALVEY<br />
and being on direct oxygen and<br />
concentrators her lungs struggled<br />
with getting enough oxygen<br />
and she passed away peacefully<br />
this morning.<br />
“She approached cancer and<br />
the myriad of drugs she took to<br />
get through this with determination,<br />
integrity and tenacity.”<br />
Since her diagnosis last year,<br />
the Leeston-based trainer driver<br />
had massive support from the<br />
harness racing community, and<br />
others. Thanks to a fund-raising<br />
effort co-ordinated by close<br />
friend and mental health advocate<br />
Craig Wiggins, more than<br />
$340,000 was raised to help Cox<br />
get the medication she needed.<br />
“Katie brought us all together<br />
in her journey and it’s important<br />
that we all support each other<br />
and her closest the most,” Wiggins<br />
posted on Facebook.<br />
“We know this is a shock to<br />
you all and the hurt will be deep<br />
and the loss you feel real.”<br />
Cox was humbled and<br />
extremely grateful for all that<br />
support. Just four weeks ago<br />
she said: “It’s incredible. I can’t<br />
emphasise enough how grateful<br />
I am for everything, the texts,<br />
the calls. People have been<br />
wonderful.”<br />
Her comments came after<br />
she drove her own horse Spy<br />
Da Moment to win a trial at<br />
Ashburton. At the time she said<br />
her health had taken a turn for<br />
the worse, but she remained<br />
optimistic.<br />
Since news of her death was<br />
made public there has been<br />
an outpouring of sympathy<br />
with many taking to social<br />
media in particular to offer<br />
their condolences.<br />
Many spoke of their sadness<br />
and of Cox’s bravery throughout<br />
the last few months.<br />
“A beautiful soul taken far too<br />
soon,” said one.<br />
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