Ngatokorua(Honey) survived leukaemia at age 2 now needs a new heart at age9 We are raising funds for the family so they can be with Honey
Auckland
Ngatokorua(Honey) survived leukemia at age 2 and now needs a new heart at age 9. A month ago she was diagnosed, her heart is deteriorating and she was admitted to Startship intensive care unit.
On the 6th December Ngatokorua(Honey) was rushed in to surgery after being resuscitated twice.
She is now connected to an artificial heart machine at Starship Hospital intensive care unit keeping her alive
Ngatokorua has a long road to recovery ahead of her and is awaiting surgery to have a mobile artificial heart pump connected to her. She will be the first child in New Zealand to have this procedure.
This is a short term solution which will require constant care and attention from her loving family and the great people at Starship Hospital.
Ngatokorua(Honey)'s father resigned from his job on Saturday after seeing how close he came to losing his baby. He will now be by her side until she is well.
Ngatokorua(Honey)'s mother is on indefinite leave so she too can be by her baby's side. After going through leukemia with her daughter "mum" has given back to the community volunteering her time to children's charities. This will be the first year since her daughter recovered that she has been unable to volunteer her time.
Ngatokorua also have 2 other siblings in high school.
While they have strong family support they are faced with financial hardship as they are focus on their baby's recovery.
Ngatokorua(Honey) is one tough girl having endured what no child should ever have to go through once let alone twice. Her parents are very humble people and wouldn't ask for help so we have decided to setup this cause on behalf of the family.
Thank you for taking the time to read our cause and we hope Ngatokorua(Honey)'s bravery will touch your heart.
We love and care for their family and this cause will ease their financial worries for the moment and focus on Ngatokorua longroad to recovery. As parents we know having a sick child is the most draining and the most difficult task we face and sometimes a helping hand during this hard time will come a long way.
Update from Kay and family 22 January 2015
Since the launch of the Give a Little Page a lot has changed in regards to the plans that Honey's medical team had. The initial plan of the pump (LVAD) implant was completely changed due to her deteriorating heart and lung functions. Since her cardiac arrest and after some excrutiating days of never ending meeting and discussions by her medical team, they made a decision to proceed with a heart transplant instead as it was the only chance Honey had of surviving. It was believed that she would not survive the LVAD (pump implant). Monday 15th December (9days after her cardiac arrest) - a Donor Heart that matched her blood group and all the boxes were ticked became available from Victoria, Australia. 9.10pm of that day Honey was wheeled into Theatre for the Heart Transplant. 9 and a half hours later - the procedure was successful and she was back into her bed space in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) where she would continue her journey to
recovery.
33 days post transplant - Honey continues to make amazing and miraculous progress. Despite the ups and downs, the set backs she's had due to infections in her lungs, pneumonia, air and fluid leakege from her lungs - Honey continues to show her medical team her strength, strong fighting spirits and the power of continuos prayers from the many people that loves her. The relief in seeing her wake up, attempts to communciate, moving around in bed has brought a lot of happy tears not only to her parents but also to the extended families and friends that visits her - Prayers from near and far has definitely been answered!! Words can not express the feeling her parents feel each time Honey takes 1 step forward to recovery.
Honey's medical team (including the Transplant team) has been so impressed with her progress she was known to them as "Our Superstar Girl" After plans of taking her back to surgery to remove part of her right lung due to continuous air leakage - miraculously that didn't happen as the air leakage in the lungs decided to suddenly stop and fix itself - she is now known to her Medical team as "Their Miracle Girl". Due to all the miraculous improvements in all areas, the plan is to be discharged back to the Heart Ward in Starship very soon. There she will continue to be cared for by the medical team.
Once they are happy with her progress in the Ward she will then be moved to her next home - Hearty Towers at Greenlane Hospital. This is one step closer to going home.
At Hearty Towers, Honey will continue intense rehab to help her physically. She needs to learn how to talk, walk again, wash herself, write and do all normal things again. This is also where her parents will be trained and tested whether they are fit enough to care for her before going home.
Words can not describe how Greatful and Blessed we as parents feel during this journey!! The many and continuos Prayers and Love for our Honey and her family from extended families, friends, colleagues, nursing staff and all of her medical/care team has been tremendously Heart warming!! Most definitely contributing factors to her speedy and miraculous recovery.
There is no doubt Honey has overcome a lot of challenges life could throw at you, the many hurdles in life she has successfully got over them. She's definitelty a child who has determination to live, continue to fight battles not only for herself but for her loving family. A truly Loved child by many....xoxo
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