Christian's Heart Needs Your Help

My name is Stephanie Peacocke and I am appealing to you on behalf of my cousin, Christian. Christian has had a hard time of it health wise and if ever the saying Diamonds Are Formed Under Incredible Pressure then Christian is a diamond in human form.

Through his trails in life he has become the most amazing and giving man. He studies hard and is passionate about human rights and giving everyone a fair chance in life. It is not unusual when you have met Christian to understand how someone so in need of care himself thinks so strongly of others.

Basically Christian needs our help, he is in need of an operation that will save his life. He has so much to give to so many, my greatest wish is for him to have this chance.

Below is part of the email he sent out to family, asking for our help.

Kia ora

I'm writing to you because my heart needs your help!

You might know I was born with Marfan Syndrome which is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. It’s caused a lot of problems for me - a hernia as a baby, deformed chest walls, a leaky lung, terrible eyesight and heart problems as I’ve grown. I am now in urgent need of surgery on my faulty aorta.

The Situation My aorta is dilating and, without specialist surgery, will eventually lead to rupture and sudden death. The average aorta has a width of around 2.5cm. Currently, mine is around 5cm. The surgery I need is not currently offered in New Zealand.

The Surgery

A team of internationally recognised cardiothoracic experts have recommended I undergo PEARS (Personalised External Aortic Root

Support) surgery that is currently only available in the UK. PEARS uses a custom-made sleeve which is fitted around the aorta to reinforce the walls and ensure it doesn’t rupture. PEARS is a superior surgical procedure with shorter operation time (only 3hrs instead of 6hrs), less invasive (so I’m not on any machine while being operated on; heart keeps pumping, no breathing machine) and no anti-coagulation drugs afterward.

The Benefits

PEARS means I’ll live a good life without the hassle of continued heart problems. Overall, PEARS also means I will live longer. There is no need for further heart operations and most importantly to me, I can exercise, run and swim without tiring so quickly or worrying I might die at any moment. PEARS also means I don’t have to take Warfarin, a drug that decreases life span and quality, for the rest of my years.

The Cost

Initially I was told that I would have to fly to the UK to have the PEARS surgery at a cost $60,000NZD. All up, we estimated that the total cost of surgery in the UK (including travel, accommodation, living costs, surgery and recuperation) would have been around $150,000NZD. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case.

In an amazing turn of events, Dr John Pepper (the PEARS creator and surgeon) has offered to fly out to New Zealand to oversee the

performing of the operation here at Waikato Hospital. I’m really pleased to say that Waikato DHB are meeting the costs of the surgery. This is a drastic saving.

Now I all I need to cover Dr Pepper’s travel and accommodation costs while he is here in NZ which I estimate at around $15,000 all up.

The Timeframe

Before I have PEARS, I have to have a hernia/lung operation which is set for early January 2015 which will take me about 6-8weeks to recover from. I need to properly heal up from this surgery so I can be ready for PEARS. All up, we are planning for PEARS around mid-2015. My specialist surgical team will make a more informed decision after my hernia surgery next month. Before they would even agree to proceeding with PEARS, Waikato DHB needed to know that I would cover costs. So I’ve said yes. For two reasons; firstly, I’ve got faith that I’ll be able to come up with the funding (fingers crossed with the help of others) and secondly, if I don’t have the surgery, I will die sooner rather than later.

The Request

I need help to achieve this goal. I have put up $1000 myself as a starting point. Thankfully, cousins Traci & Min and aunty Vonda have each contributed $1000 to help me cover the costs of flights and accommodation for the surgeon. That means I now only need to find $11,000.

I would greatly appreciate if you are able to make an investment in my future. Whatever you can afford to help me out would be amazing. Whether it’s $1000 up-front or a weekly contribution, your help will mean a healthy and normal future for me. Remember, there’s a few months to go but time is running out.

For those that contribute and want to hear how the process goes, I’ll be doing regular emails and posting to a Facebook group. For those of you who can’t contribute financially, I understand and appreciate that you are supporting in other ways - through your good thoughts and prayers.

If you want to help me financially, I would be so greatful. If the costs are less than the amount raised, I will be using some for

rehabilitation and giving any surplus funds to a heart related charity. Again, I’ll let everyone know the final outcomes on the surgery costs, how I fare in my January operation and keep you updated with fundraising efforts.

Thank You!

Please tweet me if you'd like to talk further - I'd love to hear from you

Arohanui,

Christian

@crikarika