Hospice patient treated to early Christmas present thanks to motorbiking staff members

A motorbike-loving patient got an early Christmas present from hospice staff as he was treated to a display of their bikes.

Michael Renè, 88, from Catford, beamed as the three motorbikes roared outside St Christopher’s Hospice in Lawrie Park Road, Sydenham, yesterday afternoon.

He then quizzed each of the three staff members on the technical details of their respective bikes, before claiming his favourite was the Suzuki GSXR 600, ownerdby IT Service Desk Senior Engineer Stan Buchanan.

“My goodness, that Suzuki, that was outstanding,” he said afterwards.

The special moment was all down to nurse and deputy ward manager Nicky Luff who had asked Michael what he wanted to achieve before his discharge from the hospice.

Ms Luff said: “His daughter told me he had wanted to ride a Harley Davidson but Michael said it was just a joke.

“I told him he could perhaps see some of the staff members’ bikes and his eyes just lit up.

“This was part of a question we ask every patient at the hospice – what matters to you.”

Michael, who was born in Mauritius but has spent the past six decades living in the UK, bought his first motorbike when he was 21 years old.

“It was an old British Army bike,” he recalled. “It didn’t work, I paid around £100 for it and then learnt how to fix it myself.”

He moved to the UK a few years later and carried on riding but stopped when “fearmongers made him scared”.

Stanley Buchanan said: “It’s always nice to do something for a patient.”

The other bikes, a BMW and a Harley Davidson, were owed by Maintenance Technicians Dean Huntley and Caleb Lawson.

The trio were waved off by Michael as they pulled away, and they revved him an extra rev or two in return.

Pictured top: From left back row, Stanley Buchanan, Caleb Lawson, Nicky Luff, Dean Huntley, front row, Michael René (Picture: St Christopher’s)