Editorial: Adventurer touched the lives of many

Samuel Gibson, 39, died in Hawke's Bay Hospital yesterday.

It is with sadness that we report today that the very brave Samuel Gibson died in Hawke's Bay Hospital after suffering a fall in the Sotheby's half-marathon at the weekend.

Mr Gibson, 39, was born with a rare condition called osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that makes for brittle bones that fracture easily.

He was known as an adventurer, designer and an inspirational speaker and was taking part in the Sotheby's half marathon in Hawke's Bay in his custom-made wheelchair when he suffered a fall.

I did not know Mr Gibson personally but I did see him quite often out and about in Havelock North. He was almost always with his children and he seemed to be a loving and caring father.

He certainly was brave and had a can-do attitude and zest for life. He did not let the circumstances of his life keep him down and one got the sense that he lived life to the fullest.

He did things that many people would not even consider. For example, he sailed solo across Cook Strait in a 3.6m-long dinghy, with several other yachtsmen last year.

His next challenge in October was to complete the 301km Alps to Ocean cycle trail from Mt Cook to Oamaru in an off-road wheelchair, with ultra-endurance athlete Lisa Tamati and two other runners.

It is a tragedy that he died so young and also the circumstances in which he died.

Our hearts go out to his family in this difficult time and hopefully they can take some comfort from the fact that Samuel Gibson touched the lives of many people.

He was an inspiration and will be missed.