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Melfort man going extra mile for Parkinson’s fundraising campaign

Jul 13, 2018 | 12:00 PM

This Saturday, Kurt Luchia will hop into his 1956 Willys Jeep and drive the 400 km from Melfort to Moose Jaw as a way to raise funds for Parkinson’s disease research and to pay tribute to his late father.

Perry Luchia, who passed away almost two years ago, battled the disease for 17 years. The father and son bought the jeep when Kurt was 16, and it would take six years for the pair to restore it to its former glory. Luchia said he learned a lot from watching his father, a former Air Force pilot.

“Watching him take the time and the patience and the extra effort to do a restoration most people wouldn’t even attempt, and he took it up with gusto,” Luchia said.

Luchia is the first to admit that the drive to Moose Jaw this weekend could be very uncomfortable and could take a long time. The narrow vehicle has an 80-inch wheelbase, no doors, an open cab, and there is no way to even adjust the seat. On top of that, Luchia said he will be required to make quite a few stops.

“It’s only got an eight-gallon fuel tank and its 11.5 miles to the gallon, so I won’t even make it to Saskatoon on a tank of fuel,” he said.

Luchia said he plans to drive from Melfort to Saskatoon on the first leg, and then on to Regina. He’s hoping to reach the Boston Pizza in Moose Jaw by 6 p.m. Saturday night. Luchia’s decision to end his journey in Moose Jaw was not a random choice. 

“My mom and dad met down that way,” he said. “He was posted to the base, and they are doing a big car show the next afternoon, and I figured it was a good fitting endpoint,” he said.

Luchia said his mother still lives in the Moose Jaw area and he has other family members who farm down there as well. When he made the decision to make the trip, Luchia had set a goal of raising $3,000. As of Wednesday he had raised just over $1,700. 

People can still donate to his cause through the Parkinson Superwalk Moose Jaw or through pledges at the various stops Luchia will make Saturday. 

 

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell