Trigg family pays ‘advance’ annual gym membership in honor of Sean Doyle

It wasn’t long ago that a suburban gym on Perth’s northern coast lost one of its favorite members to progressive brain cancer.

Sean Doyle went to the gym at Peak Body Health and Fitness in North Beach and trained there for 10 years.

“He was never a gym fanatic, but he loved the community and the community loved him,” said his wife, Gabriel Doyle.

“He wasn’t a weightlifter or anything like that, but he used to attend spin and pump classes.

“Sean was a typical gentleman and a very sweet man who loved his daughters and family.”

Mrs. Doyle first met her late husband when she was 11 years old. Sean was her brother’s best friend at school and has spent a lot of time with her family since her mother died when she was very young.

“Shawn turned 60 and had a great celebration with his family. The girls and their partners were there. It was amazing,” she said.

“Then, over the next five to six weeks, his condition gradually deteriorated. He had a CAT scan, which was misread and did not reveal that he actually had a brain tumor. .

“Sean was diagnosed with glioblastoma and was due to have surgery, but after a few days he had quite a lot of bleeding in the tumor, the surgery did nothing and his quality of life was very poor. We decided it would be’, no matter what. “

Doyles, a father of two, died on November 28, 2019, three days after returning home, on the Doyles’ 34th wedding anniversary.

“About six months after he died, I had a conversation with Jim and said, ‘Jim was such an important part of Sean’s life that I wanted to make it available for others in Sean’s name. ‘ said Mrs Doyle. she said.

Jim’s owner, Danielle Steward, said the family wanted to honor Sean with a $950 12-month membership to a worthy person in the community each year.

“So we said we love him as much as you do, so every year we’ll go with that and pick the right two,” she said.

“I have the great privilege and honor of choosing people who deserve it. Some have lost family members, others are suffering emotionally.

“Gym memberships can be prohibitive, especially these days, but they love it and need it for their mental health.”

Recipient Kelly Smith, 42, returned to the gym after giving up her membership five years ago.

“I started this week, but I want to continue every day,” she said. “I want to regain my strength and be healthy.

“When I go to the gym, I feel responsible because I was given this membership.

“I was really shocked when I received it…and I was feeling like I wasn’t very active in the community, so the gesture really touched me.”

During the pandemic, Trigg’s aid workers made soup for the elderly and went out of their way to provide rapid tests to the hands of those who couldn’t get tested.

“Kelly does so many small, random acts of kindness that it’s impossible to count or list,” Mrs. Steward said.

“She’s the kind of girl who talks to someone in a store and asks if she’s okay or if she needs a hand during the Covid-19 pandemic. You know Kelly because she’s always there to help.

“If someone puts up a post that needs a jumper wire…or a spider gets kicked out of the house, whatever it is, I can throw almost $20 in and guarantee Kelly will get back to me.”

Smith said her return to the gym has improved her mental and physical health.

“I think it’s really nice when a family member gives it to someone. It kind of makes you think, ‘Look, I’m not just coming to the gym for myself, I’m coming to the gym for that family. It makes me feel like, ‘Oh my gosh,'” she said.