Biker’s last ride as he loses battle with cancer
“He was a fighter, and he fought until the end to make sure his family is going to be okay.”
A family in the north of Pretoria was heartbroken after losing their “brave” motorcyclist Martin Quinn.
The 42-year-old husband and father died last week after a long battle with cancer.
“He’s just gone… the worst is, it’s forever,” said an emotional Natanya, Quinn’s wife on Monday.
“He would have celebrated his 43rd birthday next month.”
In September 2019, Rekord wrote about Quinn, after 40 motorcyclists showed up at his home in Annlin to support him and celebrate his 40th birthday.
In February 2018, Quinn was diagnosed with colon cancer.
After undergoing painful surgery and seven months of chemotherapy, he was cancer-free.
But after one of his regular check-ups at the hospital, he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2019.
Natanya said this week that Quinn had fought bravely against the disease “to the end”.
“For the last three months he has been in hospital and we could see how his health was deteriorating,” she said.
Quinn had lost as much as 60kg in those three months and his body weakened greatly.
“He was a real fighter. He fought for us to the end. He kept fighting until his will and financial affairs were in order and he was sure that we, his family, were taken care of,” said Natanya.
“No matter how bad things got, he always had a smile on his face. He was more concerned about us, about his family – always wanted to know how we were doing. Regardless of his suffering, he never complained.”
Natanya said she was grateful that she was able to say goodbye to her husband.
“The day he died, on Tuesday, I remember him looking so peaceful. The machine supplying him with oxygen was on, so I believed he was still alive. I put my hand on his chest and he still felt warm… and I prayed for him.
“The nurse came in and asked me to wait outside. I will never forget when she came out and just shook her head.”
Quinn leaves Natanya and their son Adian behind.
A memorial service took place on Tuesday morning where his family could finally say goodbye.
“I miss hearing his footsteps through the house because he could really stomp his feet when he walked,” said Natanya, laughing through the tears.
“I miss hearing his laugh. He is gone now and there’s nothing left… not even the looking forward to our short hospital visits. The world is empty without him.”
Natanya said that although her beloved leaves a big void in her life and their home, he will continue to live on in her heart.
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