SAMUEL JOHNSON: 'IT'S STILL A LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY'

DESPITE PERSONAL TRAGEDIES, SAM SAYS THERE'S STILL SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

- Brigid Auchettl

Strong-minded, stubborn and driven are the words Samuel Johnson uses to describe the spirit of his late sister Connie.

With photographs of the siblings lovingly scattered around his home in country Victoria, Sam tells New Idea that Connie is never far from his thoughts.

"I've got two forever roses made of paper. I keep one of them in my study and one of them in my kitchen so that I can see her every day," says Sam, 44.

The siblings captured the hearts of the nation in 2014 when Sam rode a unicycle an incredible 15,955km over 364 days - the world's longest unicycle journey - to raise over a million dollars for cancer services.

Two years prior, Sam and Connie created Love Your Sister, a charity committed to 'vanquishing cancer' and set a lofty goal - to raise $10 million to fund vital research.

CONNIE'S COURAGE

Heartbreakingly, Connie, a beloved mother of two, lost her battle with cancer in September 2017, but not before raising more than $5 million for cancer research and being awarded an OAM. This month marks five years since Connie's passing.

"Time doesn't heal all wounds, but it does provide some Band-Aids after a while," says Sam, uncle to Connie's boys, Willoughby, and Hamilton.

"She wanted nothing more than to see those kids through, and then cancer interrupted that. But not before she'd done a great job with those kids."

"She was a great mum."

Five years on, Sam has kept his vow to Connie, raising $16 million to date. He has grand plans to double that number.