Thursday is a red-letter day for cancer care in Southland.
Building consent for the new Southland Charity Hospital has arrived - on the day that would have been the 41st birthday of a high-profile local bowel cancer patient, Blair Vining.
He succumbed to the common cancer in October 2019 while fighting for fairer healthcare for all New Zealanders.
His widow Melissa spoke to Corin Dann.
