Eden Smiler could really do without this 9mm kidney stone. Really.

Eden Smiler, miss "go-to girl" whenever anyone needs ANYTHING, needs our help.

For 4 months she's been in constant pain, chucking down tramadol like lollies, in and out of the ER, hospital, and the doctor's office to get her to this point:

"You have a 9mm kidney stone (which no 17-year-old girl should ever have, especially in her final year of NCEA), and so we'll put you on the Emergency Surgery list. We can't put you on the Emergency Priority Surgery List because it's not life-threatening."

Wait time on the Emergency Surgery list? 6 MONTHS MINIMUM! (FFS)

So here's our choice:

1. Leave her in pain, off school more and more each week, today barely able to lift her head she feels so weak, FOR 6 MONTHS OR MORE, or

2. Humble ourselves and call out for some goodness from the universe.

If we can raise NZD$14k in the next 3 weeks we can get her surgery scheduled straight away after a specialist appointment on 3 May. It's a lot. It's a lot to ask. But we know if everyone just gives a little, like we're all so good at doing, we'll get there.

If you see Eden every day and can't see what's happening, please know this:

- she's in absolute survival mode

- she's committed to slamming NCEA this year in prep for uni next year

- she's just toughing it out. But she's crumbling. She's got her game face on

- she even joined Poly Group in the hopes that she'd shake that sucker out :-O

- tramadol is barely touching the surface of the pain. And long-term tramadol is no good for anyone.

So, wonderful whānau, friends, and our beautiful networks, it's pretty simple really:

- an amazing young woman

- a wonderful LDS family

- a vital school year for a hard working student

- a debilitating, curable illness

- no health insurance

- and a public health system that can't help - not in any kind of reasonable timeframe.

We've done all we can. Tag, you're it <3 <3