Undertaking rehabilitation in Queensland will be among the ways Nick Dempsey will benefit from the generosity of builders and buyers of a home in Thurgoona.
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A sale price of the four-bedroom home in the new Iluka Views Estate was being negotiated at the weekend after the property was passed in at auction on Saturday.
But whatever the total proceeds of the sale, going to the Nick’s Journey charity, did not bother the man himself.
“I never expected people to do what they did, so no matter what happened today, I was going to be happy,” Nick said.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more.
“Thank you to everyone that’s been involved with this – I haven’t forgotten anyone who’s contributed, from the start to the finish.”
Thousands of donated dollars and hours went into the house, which Andrew Kane of Kane Real Estate described as “having all the bells and whistles”.
“Anybody that has been through the house can see the hard work that’s gone into it and the respect everyone has for Nick and his family,” he said.
“The 1200-metre square block is what a lot of people are looking for.”
The auction, conducted in conjunction with Chapman, Gould and May Real Estate, began with an opening bid of $500,000, climbing to $530,000 before being passed in on a vendor bid of $550,000.
Nick said a trip to Queensland in October to undertake therapy with Making Strides, an industry leader in exercise therapy for spinal cord injury, was an example of the expenses the fundraiser would cover.
“I spent two weeks up there, doing five days of therapy a week. That’s the kind of thing this fundraising pays for,” he said.
“It’s better than any kind of therapy available, and to have the opportunity to get there is amazing.”
While in the sunshine state, the 22-year-old had his first dip in the ocean since the accident in 2017 that left him with C4 quadraplegia, made possible with the support of Making Strides.
“It was really nice – different – but very relaxing,” he said.
“I’d love to be able to go to Queensland more often, possibly even relocate there, whether it’s for the winter months when it’s colder here or full-time.
“That would get me the best therapy I can, as often as I can.
“That will be a goal in 2019.
“I enjoy working hard on my rehab, and I’ll take a couple days off around Christmas and get back into it.”
Dip 4 Dempsey, another major fundraiser for the charity founded last year, is expected to return in the new year.
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