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A world of possibility

  • Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he mauhga teitei - aim for the greatest treasure, despite the difficulties

      22 November 2025

    Firstly, arohamai for being quiet on here these past few weeks. Life got busy, and I wanted to make sure I was in the right space to write this final post with the gratitude it deserves.

    We did it! Together, we reached the goal to give Elijah the incredible opportunity to attend the Centre of Movement in January 2026. The deposit is paid, accommodation is booked—it’s happening! And it’s all because of you—your generous donations, kind words, and heartfelt prayers. Saying “thank you” doesn’t feel like enough, but please know how deeply grateful we are.

    This milestone reminded me of a special moment 7½ years ago when Elijah took his very first steps at age two. True to form, he didn’t just walk—he ran! And he did it with that contagious laugh that still echoes in my heart as I write this. That’s Elijah’s superpower: his determination, his problem-solving spirit, and his drive to give 110% in everything he does—always bringing everyone along for the ride with his infectious smile and laughter.

    While this will be our last post here, Elijah’s journey is far from over. I’ll continue sharing updates on his private Facebook page, Elijah’s Journey. If you’re not already part of that community, just message me and I’ll link you in—because every single one of you helped make this dream a reality.

    From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

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  • Nearly there!

      30 October 2025
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    Kia ora everyone, we have been a little quiet the last few weeks, so much going on and I had to take a step back and prioritise what could not wait, a huge thank you to those that have been checking in and helping out with garage sales and flea markets - this weeks shout out goes to Junk and Disorderly https://junkndisorderly.co.nz/, thanks Nicole... you and your team just quietly potter about helping so many people like us, thank you. With one month to go until we close the Give a little page we are on the final countdown... coming in at $14,379 we just have $621 to raise and I am just so humbled by everyone's generosity... it blows my mind that we are going to be able to make this happen for our little man - thank you just does not seem enough, but grateful we certainly are. I am also incredibly spoilt for choice as to which photo to pop up today as our little man is so photogenic and very clever with spelling the names of lots of electronic devices this week - Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and Promethean... all names of TV's in Elijahs world, which is funny because he very rarely watches TV... he much prefers his device... so thank you thank you thank you and if you feel you can share for one more push then please do xxx

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  • Shout out

      20 September 2025
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    This week I would like to do a shout out to some great businesses that have been supporting us on our journey... it speaks to the mana and wairua behind each of them, how they give tirelessly in time, energy and a love for people check them out! https://tepuheke.co.nz/ http://www.thespothair.co.nz/

    https://www.guitarshed.co.nz/ https://vitalbits.co.nz/ https://www.facebook.com/scatteredplatters/ As always, thank you to everyone... feeling very blessed - and we're nearly there!

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  • Blessed

      7 September 2025
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    I think one of the most valuable gifts since Elijah chose to live with us and we embarked on this journey to head to Rotorua this summer for a 3-week intensive therapy engagement... has been the moments, the moments that I see how much joy Elijah brings into our lives, the moments that we are caught off guard by the generosity of others, the moments that Elijah reminds us to stop and just be in the moment, to laugh, to be silly and to realise how incredible life is.

    This has been one of those weeks... a Warriors jersey arriving on my doorstep that raised $1600 in 24 hrs (and a total of $2,000). Being sent some photo's that just bring me pure joy and sitting at my desk working as his contagious laughter floats through the window as he bounces on his tramp with our incredible support crew... how blessed are we! Thank you to all that contribute to making every week a great week. A special blessing goes out to a beautiful soul who graciously gave me permission to share one of those moments with you all... Elijah's Rae Rae xxx

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  • Whanau

      30 August 2025
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    This morning, I spent some time in reflection, karakia and a space of recognising all that I am grateful for, I endeavour to create this space at least once a week to bring to mind how blessed I am. I am only able to do this (and many other special things) because Elijah has an incredible lady in his life... his Aunty Natt.

    Natt and I have known each other since high school, albeit not so well back then and her and her beautiful whanau have blended into our lives seamlessly. They balance out our quiet whanau of 3 with the fun filled chaotic stunning whanau of 7, Natt is often my sounding board and the person that calls it when I go off track (everyone needs one of those right). Together with her whanau, she loves Elijah like her own and inadvertently creates spaces for me to plan logically rather than being led always by my heart which is what I tend to do.

    With this in mind (and for lots of reasons) we have extended the date on our give - a - little page and will start our 3 week intensive on the 3rd January, which will give us a little more time to save and be ready to give it all we have... To Natt, Mark, Nathan, Georgia, Beryl and Bernard... thank you x

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  • 2/3rds of the way there

      9 August 2025
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    Wow this is really happening... together we have made it 2/3 of the way there! Thank you, thank you, thank you... your support means the world to Elijah and me.

    I knew this journey was going to twist and turn in many directions... and one thing us Mama's are good at is pivoting however I found myself getting caught up in deadlines and being impatient, so over the last week I took some time to really think about what is right for Elijah. We have made the decision to move the 3 week intensive to January 2026, this gives us more time to fundraise, it will be summer so he will more likely be well and he won't need to take so much time off school... however the main reason is to have access to an Occupational therapist who specialises in the Feldenkrais method... here is a link if you want to read more about this https://www.centreofmovement.com.au/feldenkrais/ we had the benefit of experiencing the impact this would have on Elijah when we did our 1 week trial... and know it is the right thing for him right now.

    That does not mean we are going to sit around doing nothing for the next 5 months... we are hoping this week that Elijah's Ear, Nose and Throat specialist has good news for us when we visit them on Thursday and we are on track when we visit the Brain and Nerve clinic also on Thursday... from there I'm hoping swimming can be back on the table, meanwhile this mama has some work to do also... so we are both ready to make the most of our Intensive come January 26

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  • 9 today!

      26 July 2025
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    Unbeknown to me... 9 years ago on Wednesday, our beautiful boy was born, weighing in at 600 grams (would have fit inside the palm of my hand)... his Well Child book said they had to feed him with an eye dropper and could not pick him up because his skin was so transparent - who would believe that now! Our boy is fighter and while his determination can sometimes cause havoc, we know it is because he fought to be here. Anyone who can bring himself back 3 times (as they had a DNR on him)... is here for a reason - thank you to everyone for making his life full of purpose and love. Photo today is of our boy hanging out in the gully at kura, he loves the gully and his TA's know this and allow him the freedom to explore and just be... have a beautiful week everyone <3

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  • Blessed

      20 July 2025

    Kia ora everyone, as the weekend draws to a close... I am sitting here reflecting on some truly incredible people in our lives that just keep showing up, in person, via text or message - just to let us know they have our back... once again thank you.

    The Garage Sale was a great success - $783.00 raised, that I will pop into Elijah's Give a little account this week, and I did my very first "live" to advertise it which was... interesting :-D

    Below you would see a link to our next event - a night at the movies... everybody enjoys a good doggo movie don't they... and what else are you going to do on a Sunday night.

    Meanwhile (and yes, I must confess that until someone said something yesterday - I had forgotten) this week we get to celebrate Elijah's 9th spin around the sun... Elijah turns 9 on Thursday, so I need to get my skates on and organise things... but just know you are all in our thoughts tonight as I know everyone is dealing with their own stuff, take care everyone and remember to take a moment to breathe... loads of love from Elijah and Me xxx

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  • Step One

      12 July 2025
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    Wow what an incredible week - thank you for making it possible for us to head to Rotorua and the Centre of movement where Elijah engaged in 15 hrs of physical and sensory integration - Key learnings of the week were - Elijah can manage 3 hrs of therapy a day. - He is completely exhausted for the rest of the day, so just take it slowly. - Check in with myself, as what I'm feeling can be reflected in Elijah. He was a super star, so the next step is to keep fundraising to raise enough to go down for a 3-week intensive, by Friday we were just starting to see real changes in Elijah, seeking out what he needed to regulate, comfortable with touch and how calm and focused he was for the rest of the day. We know that he would benefit from a 3-week intensive so we can imbed some new practices into his day to set him up well for learning (both at home - life skills and school). Today is about sitting in a space of being incredibly grateful for the opportunity and manifesting the ability to keep going - we have a big garage sale coming up on the 20th July and a movie night on the 3rd August... watch this space as we continue our journey. Thank you xxx

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  • So Grateful... thank you

      6 July 2025
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    Mōrena e te whanau, Wow, woke up this morning so grateful... today is the day we head to Rotorua to start our intensive therapy (8am tomorrow morning). Before I start packing up the car I want to acknowledge the beautiful day here in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland - the sun is shining and it's a clear blue sky, a perfect day for driving... and we have reached halfway for our fundraising whoop whoop... Wow, I am so incredibly grateful, thank you, thank you, thank you... there really are no words, everyone has been so generous.

    Today is about taking each moment calmly and slowly, we want our little guy to be in a great space tomorrow and he will pick up if I am anxious or nervous about anything - please know that I have felt each prayer, hug, cuppa, text, emoji, the time people have given me just to say out loud what is in my head and especially to those that have reached out and touched Elijah to prepare him... you are all in our hearts... we look forward to sharing the next part of our journey with you all... have a beautiful week xxx

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  • Can check that off the list

      28 June 2025
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    Mōrena e te whanau, Happy Saturday... wow what a week, our little warrior checked into Starship again and this time we made it to surgery, so that's a win and while he was quite distressed by the dressings etc post-surgery... I am in awe with how calmly he prepared himself before. As you can see in the photo, he walked in, sussed out his room and then set it up like this and spent ages watching the trees moving in the wind outside his window.

    The countdown is on for us, 8 sleeps before we head to Rotorua for a 5-day intensive course at the Centre of Movement... a little bit excited... a little bit nervous but we know at the heart of it - we won't know unless we try. Wishing you all a great week xxx

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  • On Another Note

      21 June 2025
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    Therapy is on track, we locked in our accommodation for Rotorua for the week of the 7th July this week and we received Elijah's program - this is just a taste of what we will do in September, giving the Centre of Movement a chance to get to know Elijah and determine what the focus should be... It's a mix of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and an Exercise Physiologist, not going to lie, starting to feel a little excited - A huge THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts, both accommodation and this part of the therapy are all paid up, it really does take some of the pressure off while I plan some cool events to raise funds for part 2!

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  • Riding the Wave

      21 June 2025
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    Riding the wave is an apt description of the week Elijah and I have just had. Elijah was supposed to have his 13 surgery on Tuesday so we spent the night before food loading (as he wasn't going to be able to eat again until we arrived), packed a bag with the essentials (drink, blanket, Pj's, tablet and sensory gadgets) as we needed to be at Starship by 7.30am and it takes us an hour to get there at that time of the day. We woke up in time, jumped in the car and got there just in time to register on ward right on 7.30 (gotta love Auckland traffic). Starship were awesome, we were shown straight to side room, we dimmed the lights got changed into our Pj's and climbed up on the bed with blanket and tablet in toe. The anaesthetist came in, took us through the drill of repeating everything on the registration form and we signed our life away. Next the nurse came in and we went through the registration form for the 3rd time, discussed the premeds the anaesthetist had prescribed and she went away to make them up... next through the door was a surgeon, but not Elijah's surgeon, the first words out of her mouth was that she had some bad news, she went on to say that the surgeon was sick (who knew surgeon's got sick) and that we would have to postpone surgery. I'm not going to lie, with all the prep to get there and lining this up with Elijah's upcoming therapy - I was a little emotional, but had to laugh, as soon as my little man realised we were going home, he packed up so quick.

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  • Just a Taste

      15 June 2025

    Happy Sunday e te whanau, we had a busy couple of weeks starting with Elijah welcoming me home with a seizure... his third this year, all three have last between 20 - 25 minutes (for some context, a clonic seizure usually lasts 2 - 3 minutes) so we are waiting on an appointment with his neurologist and meet with his coordinator from Epilepsy NZ to arrange some training for Elijah's teacher aides as we have a couple of new ones.

    We also had the first of two of his individual planning meeting (he has two a year)... this was great to check in with Elijah's wider therapy team around what he is doing and what we will continue to work on over the next 6 months... Beach haven Primary have been great in supporting Elijah's learning goals... making them fun and interesting for him to engage in.

    This week we have surgery on Tuesday for Elijah's right ear... he will have a skin graft taken from inside the ear to cover the whole in his ear drum, fingers crossed the 2nd time is a charm.

    For those of you who know Elijah well, you will know that Elijah only eats 3 things, Nutella on brown bread, chocolate yoghurt and Banana Bread.. food sensitivities is something we are hoping to work on with the Centre of Movement in July... but we did have a moment of excitement on Friday night when Ke'arn and I decided it was a Sal's Pizza night... I've attached a video of Elijah exploring the pizza, the fact that he touched it was huge... let alone put it in his mouth!

    Have a beautiful week everyone x

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  • Our Village

      8 June 2025
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    Since Elijah came into our lives... our whanau/village has become so much wider... I knew when Elijah chose Ke'arn and I to live with, I wasn't going to be able to do it on my own.

    Recently I went away for a few days and went on my first holiday without either of the boys... I knew if I was going to be at my best for the next 6 months, I needed to take some time to reset... This was only possible due to Elijah's Aunty Natt and her whanau stepping in and making sure it was business as usual for Elijah - Elijah visits and stays over at Aunty Natts on a regular basis and so it has become his home away from home.

    This meant for 7 nights both Elijah and I had a change of scenery and have come back focused and recharged, ready for what life throws us next... thanks Aunty Natt and family, so blessed to have you as a part of our journey.

    Now because Natt would hate me posting photo's of her, I have chosen one from the collection taken by his teacher aides, as our focus for this week is Elijah Education Planning Meeting... wish us luck <3

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  • Us this week

      17 May 2025

    Trying something a little different this week

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  • Happy Mother's Day

      11 May 2025
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    Mōrena e te whanau, Happy New Zealand Māma's day... I am grateful for you each and every day - your love and support and to my two beautiful sons - E kore e ea i te kupu taku aroha mōu (words cannot express how much I love you), thank you for choosing me.

    This week has had a wee kink in it, Elijah decided that Ke'arn and I didn't need to sleep Wednesday night and had a seizure...13 minutes is a long time when you can't do anything to stop it, we were blessed with two beautiful wahine as our paramedics who listened and supported us to stay home once Elijah has settled... hospital retraumatise Elijah so when we can avoid them, we do. Elijah had a day at home hanging out with me and then went back to kura the next day and blew his teacher aides away with some cool words - it wasn't until later that we realised he must have been studying the plaque at home... his timing couldn't be better for one special lady in his life ❤

    In the background we are still fundraising, and I am busy planning some events in the background that I hope to launch in the next month or so, in the meantime, if you haven't shared our Give A Little Page, we would be most grateful.

    Thank you everyone, please take care xxx

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  • Another step forward

      3 May 2025
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    A massive thank you to all of you who have shared our story... this week we have reached 1/3 of our target which I am incredibly grateful for and has meant I have been able to pay a deposit to secure Elijah's place.

    As with all journey's there is often a bump in the road and we hit our first one this week... but if there is one thing Elijah has taught me, it's how to pivot... so our plans have changed slightly, a surgery that Elijah has been waiting for has come up so we are going to do that on the 17th June and because of recovery time we have had conversations with the Centre of Movement and we will have a short block of Intensive Therapy in Rotorua - 1 week from the 7th July and then commence the 3 block Intensive in September when Elijah's ear will be completely healed and we can include hydrotherapy in his program.

    All in all it still feels like we are moving forward - Elijah for his part braved putting a banana (all initiated by him) up to his mouth, for those that don't know, for the last 18 months all Elijah will eat is Nutella toast, Chocolate yoghurt and banana loaf (which is very different from banana)... we are celebrating the small wins and feel very blessed to have such a committed teacher aide team at Kura that always go above and beyond... thank you x

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  • Behind the scenes

      26 April 2025

    Life continues as normal, like many we have been having great fun during the school holidays thanks to our village of people. We continue to send videos to the Centre of Movement as they start to create what a "program" for Elijah will look like as he is a little left field for them as he is so physically active and mobile... one of his great strengths... here is a wee video of Elijah walking in his favourite place - Smith's bush on the North Shore in Auckland. To most he looks like he is just meandering a long but if you look closely, he is dragging his left side... when Elijah is unwell or is tired his left side is harder to manage and his left shoulder droops and he drags his left foot... it certainly doesn't slow him down or stop him from getting where he wants to get to (so determined) it just reminds me that his brain is needing to work a little harder today <3

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  • Blown Away

      22 April 2025
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    Wow... from out wee whanau to your... thank you for the amazing response, the contribution you have made to Elijahs journey will make such a difference and we so appreciate it. Thank you xxx

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