Behind the scenes: The charity helping cancer survivors thrive

Pinc & Steel is a charitable organisation that supports people recovering from cancer. They specifically fund physiotherapy – a crucial element in post-chemotherapy treatment.

Director, Neil Stichbury, has been helping them tell their story with a short documentary series – he explains the journey so far...

"It amazes me – you can fall off your snowboard on your expensive ski holiday and get ACC to cover physio for years but survive cancer and everyone thinks you're going to be alright – your battle is over.

Far from it … It’s a long, long road back to normal and hopefully the short documentary series we're shooting will help with awareness and fundraising.

We started shooting a couple of weeks ago and I was privileged enough to spend the day with Dave, a 72-year-young, farmer from Taupo.

Dave was sharing the story of his journey with cancer in the hope he'll be able to motivate more men affected by cancer, to seek the rehab help they need to keep active.

Every Monday Dave rides with his mountain bike crew called, “The Old Farts” , he tramps regularly and has just completed the PaddleOn SUP program (might even buy his own board).

He sees a Pinc & Steel Cancer Rehab Physiotherapist each week, for a tailored strengthening and flexibility workout using pilates equipment. I don’t think he'd even heard of pilates before seeing a Pinc & Steel physiotherapist.

Dave remains on treatment for advanced prostate cancer. He admits the treatment does knock him around, he feels a lot weaker and more fatigued than before but still gets out there each week and does as much as he can.

Giving back is a great feeling – as a storyteller/filmmaker, telling these kinds of stories is something I feel inspired and priveleged to do and appreciate the help that Film Construction have provided with making this happen."

We'll keep you posted when we've finished the series.

Click here to find out more about Pinc & Steel