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Strawbridge Appeal for Moto'otua National Hospital Intensive Care Unit, Samoa

  • Off to Samoa!!!!

      15 February 2016
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    I updated our Facebook page at the weekend; I'm away to Samoa for a couple of days with Deb, my best girlfriend and the driving force behind the Givealittle appeal. I just wanted to say thank you again to everybody who has donated and for sharing your kind words and your personal experiences with us. I'm looking forward to catching up with as many people as we can over there.

    Our Facebook update:

    If somebody had told me a year ago that, in 2015, we would have been tested as a family, told death to bugger off in the most profound way, met life-changingly amazing people, been absolutely humbled by the generosity of almost everybody we came across and come out of it all better, stronger and more bound by love than ever, it would have seemed quite unlikely to me!

    But it's happened and life has become a deeply special daily experience, for which I am so grateful. It's still hard-going and Andrew continues to improve . He is working hard at getting better and is looking forward to the challenges of the season ahead with the Gallagher Chiefs. Anybody who knows him will appreciate that the struggle is keeping him moving forward sustainably, not like a bull at a gate.

    My exciting news is that I'm taking my amazeballs best mate (who dropped everything and came to support Andrew and me in Samoa last July when it was all looking so grim) to Samoa on Wednesday evening. We're only going for a couple of days, but we're going to catch up with the amazing team at the hospital, and as many of the wonderful members of the Samoan community, New Zealand High Commission and rugby community as we possibly can. Oh, and have a couple of cocktails whilst we smother ourselves in mozzie repellent at some stage.

    Debs is a simply outstanding human being - if everybody had a bestie like Debs, the world would be a far more wonderful place. As well as being a wonderful Mum to Jono (see photos below of his helping to pack boxes), successful biz whiz, amazing daughter and family member, and my best mate (and fabulous friend to many lucky people), she has been doing an utterly brilliant job of getting the Givealittle appeal funds spent and then getting the items we purchase to the hospital. This is no mean feat; there is a mountain of paperwork to climb every time we send something, and there she is, patiently putting one foot in front of the other, ticking the boxes and doing what needs to be done. If she wasn't doing this, I don't know how I would have found the time, energy or patience and I simply don't have the words to explain just how much she has done for the appeal.

    And she's a humble person too; she'll hate me posting this tribute, but I'm excited about our wee trip and hugely keen for people to know just how pivotal she's been in the Givealittle appeal. Love you bestie x

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  • And More Special Thank Yous...

      25 November 2015
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    We also owe Phoenix MedCare Ltd a great big THANK YOU! Heather and her generous team have donated an amazing pile of goodies to the appeal:

    * 4 vapourisers

    * 1500 needles

    * 1500 syringes

    * 2000 pregnancy tests!

    Thank you so much Phoenix MedCare!

    Check out the photos, including the great packers - Chris and Jono on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/strawbridgeappealforsamoaicu/

    More soon...!

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  • 25 November... The Rubber is Hitting the Road

      25 November 2015
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    A MASSIVE thank you to Intermed! We are thrilled to report Intermed have been incredibly generous to the appeal - in addition to the advice we have received from them, we very grateful to have also received two ex-demonstration pulse oximeters (which were firmly on our wish list from the beginning) as well as 15 (yes, fifteen!) boxes of manual Infant and Paediatric Resuscitators which will also be invaluable for the hospital. We are very grateful to Simon, James, Tori and Andrew for all of their help.

    On a final note, Intermed's logo is "You. Me. Make a difference."- talk about putting your generosity where your mouth is! Thanks so much!

    Check out a couple of the photos of the goodies on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/strawbridgeappealforsamoaicu/

    More soon, as we have had more generous product donations, and have our next shipment heading out soon.

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  • A busy few weeks...

      15 November 2015
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    What a busy few weeks to catch you up on! Exciting news everyone - having exceeded our target by a glorious $14,200 (yep, you read that right - we raised $64,200!!), we are now full speed ahead on our mission to "get the goodies to Samoa"! You can expect a few updates over the next few weeks. Firstly though, we wanted to share a little of some of the other things that have been going on behind the scenes.

    Supported by New Zealand Aid, a team of staff from the Middlemore ICU spent a week in the ICU in Samoa. Included in that team was the wonderful Jenny Stewart, who has been instrumental in helping us to identify and deliver what is needed for the Moto'otua ICU. With thanks to Air New Zealand, who kindly allow Jenny to take five(!) boxes of extra baggage with her, we were able to deliver the first of the donated goods to the ICU. The boxes were filled with the computer (with thanks as noted previously to Waikato University), a copy of Microsoft Office (with grateful thanks to Microsoft New Zealand for their generous donation), 6 Fisher & Paykel Healthcare humidifiers and lots of new paperwork to help the Middlemore team train some of the TTM team on the use of the Early Warning Score (a tool for identifying patients who are deteriorating to help to get them the care they need). With the donation of some Tala, Jenny was also able to buy some pillows and pillowcases, as well as some macintoshes (the plastic that goes under your bum for when there’s a whoopsy in the bed), and some stainless steel bowls to use as vomit cartons.

    While the team was there, they were also interviewed by the local paper (The Samoan Observer).

    More soon on some of the great donations from other New Zealand businesses

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  • Fame and (hopefully) fortune!

      1 October 2015
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    We’ve got two purposes for our newest update.

    The first is to tell you that we’re going to be on TV1 on Sunday night on the Sunday program. The team has interviewed Dr Dave Galler, some of his medical team, Dave Rennie and Andrew and me, to paint a picture of how lucky Andrew is to still be with us, and how deep the need for resources and training at the Moto’otua ICU runs. We’re hoping that drawing publicity to the Givealittle page will boost donations and allow us to buy more of the vital equipment, other resources and provide access to training that Moto’otua ICU and the Samoan people, as well as people who visit Samoa, could benefit hugely from. The dollar amount we chose all those months ago in July, when things were looking so grim, was plucked from the air – every cent we raise will help, and if we got more than $50,000 (which I sincerely hope we do), it will all be gratefully received and put to very good use, with the help of some amazing businesses and people.

    Speaking of that, it brings me to the second reason for our update. We owe a huge “thank you” to a number of wonderful people who, through the businesses they work for, have organised us deals for equipment, helped with freight or provided it free, and have generally responded to our call for assistance with generosity, compassion and open-heartedness. We are so grateful for every donation; these have allowed us to access this amazing assistance. This list comprises the assistance we have received so far; there is more on the boil, some of it very close to being finalised, and we hope to be able to thank more people and businesses very soon.

    University of Waikato – donated a PC with keyboard, mouse, cables and screen.

    Microsoft – donated Microsoft Office for the PC.

    Critical Care Complex at Middlemore Hospital – donated humidifiers as Middlemore is upgrading.

    Health Alliance (and the fabulous Alberto Areias) – advice and contact with suppliers.

    BD – syringe drivers.

    USL – bedside trolleys.

    Air New Zealand – donating freight for the items going over very soon.

    Jenny, an amazing nurse at Middlemore Hospital, who works with Dr Dave, is heading to Samoa next week. She will be taking the items we have organised so far, and has promised to take some photos for us to post. It’s an exciting time – the rubber is hitting the road, as they say. We’re so humbled by the generosity of New Zealanders and the rugby community and from people overseas who have donated to this appeal.

    Oh, and Andrew is continuing to improve, too!

    Laura x

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  • Progress on all fronts!

      16 September 2015

    We're so delighted to report that we have received a PC for Dr Dave and his team, very kindly donated by the University of Waikato, where Andrew and I both studied.

    We have also been spending a bit of your kindly donated money. My bestie, Debs, has been dealing with some amazing people and businesses, to get us the best possible deals for your donations.

    We are pleased to advise that we've bought syringe pumps and the bits and pieces that go with them. While that may not sound as exciting as a big, shiny machine, these pumps are really important in the context of critical care. Many of the medicines needed in ICU have to be administered precisely and bad things happen when they are not.

    Regarding Andrew, he continues to progress well. He's enjoying every day and trying more things. Walking farther each day, lifting the odd weight, walking our new puppy, Maggie, and he's done a bit of gardening too. We're catching up with more people now and really loving the very hard hugs we've both been getting!

    We continue to receive offers of help and we are just so blown away by the love and friendship we have been shown by family, friends, Andrew's colleagues and the Chiefs family, and strangers too. It's indescribably humbling and Andrew has been touched by all of the people who have reached out from his past, to let him know he's in their thoughts.

    We thank everybody who has donated; we are grateful for every, single donation and blown away by the generosity of people in New Zealand and overseas.

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  • Wow - we are 2/3 of the way there!

      27 July 2015
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    Thanks so much for all your generous support of donations, kind messages and also offers of help from great New Zealand companies and institutions. We are thrilled that we are only 2 weeks in and are already 2/3 of the way to our goal. Thanks so much everyone, it really is a wonderful cause, and we are so pleased you all agree!

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  • Thank you from Andrew and Dr David Galler

      20 July 2015
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    Andrew and Dr David Galler would both like to pass on their personal thanks...

    From Andrew:

    “It is only now that the events of the last two weeks have become clearer and I now realise how fortunate I am to be here. It is a very emotional time and I know the road back is a long and challenging one. I woke up to discover that my wife and our friend Deborah had set up a Givealittle appeal in a gesture of gratitude to the people of Samoa and the Moto’otua ICU. That selfless act by my wife has made me realise how loved I am.

    We are overwhelmed by the support for the Givealittle appeal for equipment for the Moto'otua National Hospital ICU and I can’t believe we have already raised over $24,000. I want to thank everyone who has generously donated and hope people continue to support it.

    My family and I really appreciate the messages of support from family, friends, the Chiefs whanau, the Manu Samoa aiga, New Zealand Rugby, the wider rugby network, and complete strangers. It has been very touching. The outpouring of support has been extremely humbling,”

    And from Dr David Galler:

    “We in the ICU are deeply grateful to the Strawbridge Family for launching this appeal to improve the services we can offer at the nation's only Intensive Care Unit. We will do that through improved training for staff and the procurement of essential equipment. We wish to thank each and every donor for the effort they have made to contribute and for their contribution itself.

    “Our gratitude is clearly matched by that of National Health Service here and, if the local papers and television are an indication, of all of Samoa too.

    “All nations, no matter their GDP, face great challenges in the affordability of healthcare, Samoa is not alone in that regard. The service here is slowly evolving in a way that will be appropriate for the Samoan context. The generous donations from this appeal will accelerate that growth greatly, both because of what we will be able to procure but more importantly because of these individual acts of kindness. The impact of people’s generosity is simply enormous. Fa'afetai lava.“

    To read the full post, check out (and share!) our facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/strawbridgeappealforsamoaicu

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  • Nearly $24k!!!!!!!!

      18 July 2015

    We're overwhelmed on so many fronts at the moment - Andrew continues to improve and your generosity has simply staggered us. It's almost impossible to think that we're nearly halfway to our goal and Andrew appears to be slowly but surely on the mend. From the standpoint of 10 days ago, when his survival hung in the balance, we can barely believe it. We're so grateful that our experience and our plea have stuck a chord - your comments and your donations are so heartfelt and touching. To be touched involves both a reaching out and a receiving. We feel your empathy, your alofa and your aroha and we are humbled by it.

    The Strawbridge family.

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  • 17 July update

      17 July 2015
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    Andrew is making such great progress and is no longer in waikato ICU! We are all incredibly excited! It has been a lovely day for the cause too with more fabulous donations coming in - we've also had really generous people offer things (like a computer!) and consumable medical supplies that will also help the Moto'otua ICU. If you didn't catch the gorgeous video the Manu Samoa team did as a get well for Andrew please do check it out:

    https://twitter.com/manusamoa/status/621525283774922752

    Happy Friday!

    The Strawbridge family

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  • 16 July update

      16 July 2015
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    Wow - we have had such a fantastic day with Andrew that we are a bit lost for words! Thank you so very much to for your support and generosity - together we have raised over $20,000!

    We promise a longer update tomorrow!

    With many thanks,

    The Strawbridge family

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  • 15 July update

      15 July 2015
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    Thanks so much for your lovely support of the appeal, Tim Nanai-Williams. We've extracted a few of his comments from the post on the Chiefs facebook page this evening:

    Samoan International and Chiefs player Tim Nanai-Williams has expressed his heartfelt thanks to the people who have already donated to the Strawbridge family Moto'otua National Hospital Intensive Care Unit Givealittle page which is fundraising for equipment for the Samoan ICU.

    Andrew remains in a critical but stable condition in the Waikato Hospital Intensive Care Unit and responded briefly to family during the day.

    A mix of Chiefs players from the All Blacks and Manu Samoa including Williams and his cousin Sonny Bill Williams, Chiefs captain Liam Messam, Maori All Black captain Charlie Ngatai and Brad Weber visited Strawbridge in the Samoan hospital immediately after the historic Samoan v All Blacks Test match.

    Tim Nanai-Williams said “It was devastating to see someone you are so close to, fighting for his life. It really hit us all hard and we all felt really helpless. We started praying and talking about rugby stories and how competitive he is because we wanted him to use that competitive nature to fight for life and his family.

    “The staff in the ICU worked incredibly hard with the basic equipment they have and I think it is amazing that the Strawbridge family are helping to fundraise to get more equipment for the ICU. Seeing if first hand was real eye opener and I want to encourage anyone who wants to donate to do so.”

    With many thanks to all our supporters,

    The Strawbridge family

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  • 14 July update

      14 July 2015
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    After a rather up and down day, it is so lovely to read all of your kind comments and good wishes for Andrew's recovery, and also to see all the generous donations coming in. We are so pleased to be able to "givealittle" back to the Moto'otua National Hospital ICU.

    For those of you interested, so far we have raised enough for the computer and several syringe pumps. Of course, what we end up buying will be from the advice of Dr Galler and his "wonder team" - but thought you would like to know we have raised enough already to make a difference! Thank you for your support - and here's to ticking some more things off that list tomorrow!

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  • 13 July update - what a wonderful start!

      13 July 2015
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    Wow! Thank you so very much to all of you kind people who are getting behind this appeal! We are thrilled to have raised nearly $10,000 in such a short time! In our next update we hope to have a quick summary of what we can tick off on the list - absolutely the computer, and let's see what else!

    Thanks again!

    The Strawbridge family

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