Help get Samira the life saving cancer surgery she needs

Samira and her husband dreamed of leaving Nepal and making a new life in New Zealand. They chose Nelson because it felt right.

They used all of their savings to make the journey to New Zealand. For two years, Samira has studied for her Master’s in Management Studies, she has just achieved this. Her husband has been working , and together they have built a life and embraced the Nelson community.

Like so many people with family back home, they have been deeply distressed by the recent natural disaster in Nepal. They have loved ones and friends there, and their hearts are very much with them.

Then, during Samira’s a routine assessment by her GP , they discovered a lump in her neck. Sadly, this is thyroid cancer, which requires urgent surgery.

Thyroid cancer is generally very treatable, surgery offers a 90% chance of cure.

The devastating difficulty is that Samira is not yet eligible for publicly funded treatment. The private cost of surgery and hospital stay is approximately $26,000, with further costs likely to follow for treatment in Christchurch.

For a young couple who have already invested everything they had in building a new life here. They're facing a situation they could never have imagined and a frightening amount of money to raise.

Samira is now reaching out to the Nepalese community in Nelson but they need extra help.

I urge the community to get behind Samira and her husband. Any contribution, no matter how small, could help Samira access the treatment she urgently needs.