A PASSION for cars and engines is being passed from Steve Lummis to John Heizer.
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Steve, who suffers from motor-neurone disease, can't do the physical work required to continue the restoration of his 45-year-old Mazda. But with his limited speech, he instructs John on what to do. Together the project is slowly taking place.
"He's not bad," Steve chuckles when asked how good John is on the tools. "Yeah, there's a lot of work to do. We'll just keep going. It's a 1976 RX4 Mazda sedan. I've owned it since 1995."
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Steve's passion for cars is clear when you see his workshop. As well as being packed with tools and equipment, there is a huge number of photo albums from Steve's time as a speedway photographer.
Steve's MND diagnosis came six years ago. Since then he has lost use of his hands and been limited in his speech. It was two years ago he met John - a patient facilitator with Interchange.
Their friendship has grown in that time and John has developed his own skills thanks to Steve.
"It's great, you never know what we're going to do (and it) gives Steve a chance to keep using all his skills," John said.
"Sometimes he can't understand me because I mumble under the car, so it's mutual. But I can usually understand what he needs me to do. He knows if I'm not sure, I'll keep asking."
Along with restoration, the project has turned into modifying the Mazda. It means creating custom engine parts.
"I'm enjoying learning about the engineering side of stuff. I knew my way around the tools but not the engineering equipment. He instructs me on (that)," John said.
"There are parts (of the car) Steve has made. They aren't parts you can buy, they're manufactured here."
MND Victoria advisor and support co-ordinator Eric Kelly said projects like Steve and John's restoration are important for MND patients.
"It's about getting on with life and doing the things (patients) love to do which, for Steve, is the car," he said. . "The unfortunate thing about that for Steve is, to do that, he needs his hands.
"But when I think about quality of life, to me that means having a purpose for someone else and being able to help someone else do something. It's Steve's car and passion but he is showing every one of us a lot. That to me is what quality of life is."
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