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EMMA'S FIGHT FOR LIFE - Urgent Help Needed to Fund Offshore Cancer Treatment

  • Some Good News

      22 October 2025
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    Good news! Emma is back home after successfully completing her third Car T attempt.

    Her cancer markers have dropped significantly, the lowest they’ve been in the past few years. She will be traveling back to Shanghai early Nov for another check up and to work out what ongoing treatment to be on to keep her levels as low as possible for as long as possible.

    She’s managing her energy levels, but otherwise feeling good…best she’s felt in months! Long may it continue. Will keep you all posted after the next Shanghai trip.

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    • 23/10/2025 by Jacqueline

      Hi Emma

      Such good news! Keeping you in my thoughts and sending hugs and healing energy!

      Love, Jax

    • 23/10/2025 by Linda

      Awesome to hear, best of luck for Nov trip we are all thinking of you🤞🤞❤️

  • Update - Emma is Back in Shanghai

      4 September 2025
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    Shanghai take two! Emma arrived back in Shanghai 2 weeks ago and is preparing for her second attempt at CAR-T Therapy. She had a awesome welcome from the team at SinoUnited Health! We will keep you posted on the outcome.

    The support and donations never stops which we are continually so grateful for. Every bit is all helping with all these ongoing treatment costs. So thank you, without you she wouldn't be over there.

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  • Update on Emma

      19 July 2025
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    A little update. Emma’s still home in Wanaka, enjoying being back and getting out and about when she can—while navigating ongoing fatigue and nausea from her current treatment.

    Despite the tough side effects, the current regime is doing its job and keeping the myeloma stable as she waits for the new antibody-based CAR-T treatment to launch in Shanghai.

    She really appreciates your messages, but is often too tired to reply—keep them coming, they mean a lot.

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  • Emma's Home!

      15 May 2025
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    Emma is home!!

    Unfortunately they couldn’t get to the infusion step of the Car T, despite multiple attempts. Her T Cells were unable to be engineered to be fighter cells as they were too weak from so much treatment over the past 6 years.

    Good news is there is an exciting new version of Car-T Treatment launching at the same hospital in 2-3 months so she will look to go back to Shanghai then. This version which wont rely on her T-Cells and instead infuses antibodies.

    The other good news, her Shanghai team found a treatment regime which is stabilizing the myeloma in the meantime. This treatment whilst it is working, comes with some tough side effects and a high price tag as it is not funded in China nor NZ, so she will source and self fund so she can get some R&R in Wanaka to get ready to go back to Shanghai.

    Emma appreciates all the messages of support, she is pretty fatigued so not always able to reply, but keep em coming as she is reading them

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  • Good News!! Emma is in Shanghai & Treatment is Underway

      27 March 2025
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    Hey team, Ni Hao!

    Great news to share, Emma made it to Shanghai (all thanks to you) to start Car T Therapy. She ended up needing to be on treatment pretty urgently so it all happened quite quickly in the end. The medical team there are a bunch of legends, helping her settle into her new life in China and have obviously been a huge help bedside during part 1 of the treatment process. Car T Therapy is split into 3 parts; 1. T Cell Collection, 2. T Cell Engineering and then 3. Infusion of the Engineered Cells back to Emma.

    Emma was meant to come home after Part 1 and then return to Shanghai for Part 3.

    Instead she needs to have some additional treatment prior to Part 3 to give her the best shot at Car T Therapy working. Which now means she will be in Shanghai the whole time, looking likely to return home to Wanaka mid- late May.

    Donations and some exciting events are still happening in the background including Royalburn Station’s Fundraiser and Nat Thaipun (Master Chef Winner) pop up at Muttonbird which we are continually so grateful for! Every bit is all helping with this extra treatment cost.

    Thanks for making the impossible possible and bring on the wild ride ahead,

    Love Holden family on behalf of Emma and George.

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  • Emma's Update

      6 February 2025
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    We wanted to give you an update on how Emma is doing. First and foremost, we want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who has contributed. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine receiving so much love and support, and getting so close to our target in such a short period of time.

    Emma completed her blast of chemo and is back in Wanaka resting & recovering.

    Thank you once again; your generosity has been truly overwhelming. We will provide an update on our next steps in the coming weeks once we have a clearer picture.

    Love,

    Team Emma

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    • 23/03/2025 by Geoffrey

      Hi Emma. Would love to hear of your journey to China and what happened re the treatment.