This husband is honouring his late wife with a one-of-a-kind motorcycle
Danielle McGrath died in June 2023 after a battle with brain cancer
Shayne McGrath takes a rag and rubs grease off the wheels of a custom-built silver motorcycle. It's covered in painted details that shine a light on his wife's adventurous spirit.
The bike's sparkle makes it stand out against the other motorcycles lining the Rugged Rock Harley-Davidson store in Mount Pearl. Shayne had it specially made in Danielle's honour — she died of brain cancer just over a year ago.
"She was absolutely fearless," he said, standing in front of his new bike. "In the face of the most tragic and devastating diagnosis you could probably ever receive, she took it with so much grace and strength."
Danielle McGrath was diagnosed with grade 4 glioblastoma in July 2021. She died a couple of years later on June 2, 2023, when she was just 32.
After she passed, her loved ones hosted walks and other events to raise money for brain cancer in her honour. The custom Harley is Shayne's latest effort to share his late wife's story and raise awareness of the sickness that tragically cut her life short.
One-of-a-kind
Shayne and Danielle's families both love motorcycles, he says. He remembers his wife as someone who was brave, thrill-seeking and didn't overthink things, including when it came to planning the couple's next adventure.
The bike is covered in painted details that Shayne says speak to Danielle's essence.
When she died, she left behind many loved ones, including her dog and young daughter, Wynter. Their faces are painted onto the bike, alongside the Disney logo's signature "D," in memory of a family trip to Disney World in Florida for Danielle's last birthday.
On the hockey rink, Danielle was known as number 44 — that number is painted onto the bike as well, along with Danielle's face, the brain cancer ribbon, and birds that pay tribute to the final moments of her life.
"We've got doves flying over Danielle's head, which was a tattoo of hers and her mother's," said Shayne.
"When Danielle passed, she actually was holding her hand, and I got the tattoo as well, with the doves, but I had them kept white to kind of show that peace and love she left us with."
The motorcycle is on display at the Rugged Rock Harley-Davidson in Mount Pearl until Saturday evening. It was brought into the store on Thursday for Brain Cancer Awareness Day.
A poster sharing Danielle's story stands beside the motorcycle, with a QR code at the bottom that people can scan to donate money to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, says Shayne.
He wants the bike to be a symbol of his wife's bravery, and it isn't up for sale — he hopes to show off the motor on his new Harley soon, and plans on using it to host more events for brain cancer awareness in the future.
"It's overwhelming," he said, with tears in his eyes. "I couldn't even envision this to be something that came out so special and so beautiful."
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