Back to page

Help support Evan and Cindy with their battle against leukaemia

  • Evan is home! 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

      2 May 2023
    Posted by: Cindy Dickinson
    Main image

    I'm pleased to tell you that this will be our last update for a while.

    Ev's 4th round of treatment went really well. When we arrived back up in Waikato we expressed some concerns to the haematology team. They really made us feel heard, and they adjusted the treatment accordingly. His body handled it much better, his heart was more settled and he only picked up a small infection that he was able to fight off in only a few days. Due to a number of factors, it was a mentally/emotionally challanging round.

    We were all understandably relieved when the Dr's told Ev that his leukemia was still in deep remission and the 5th round of chemo wouldn't be necessary after all. 🎉

    Going forward, Ev will be having weekly blood tests and 3 monthly bone marrow biopsys for approximately 2-3 years. He also has so many morning meds that we had to purchase a pill organizer 😅

    We arrived home to some lovely surprises, Larry and Tegan had put together a welcome home sign for the front lawn. Koston had dressed up and made a display of all of EVs favourite things, including having his favourite song playing when we walked through the door! There were tears all around that night, tears of extreme relief I think. And gratitude.

    Ev has been home with us for nearly two weeks. We are all settling back into (almost) normal family life. He still gets frustrated occasionally but knows that his recovery will take time. He is getting stronger and more able to do everyday activities.

    Again, we would like to wholeheartedly thank you. See you soon x

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment

  • Hello to all of our friends and families 🥰

      24 March 2023
    Posted by: Cindy Dickinson
    Main image

    It has been a whole month and another round of treatment since our last update.

    We have had some highs and lows this month..

    Lows- Infected PICC line, nausea, elevated heart rate (long-term meds), intense bone pain and sadly, no view from our room window 😳

    Highs- Ev's latest bone marrow biopsy shows that his leukemia is still in remission, we were told that instead of two more rounds of treatment he will only have one more (this is a major relief, many tears were shed, rather than being only half way through, he is coming nearer to the end), he has been given 10 days of recovery time at home 🎉

    Ev is still making great progress with his stroke recovery. It is expected to take 12 months to fully correct the nerve damage and he still tires easily. He didn't manage any physical therapy sessions this month but did see his speech therapist a few times, he still really enjoys all of his sessions. It's one way that Ev feels he can be proactive in his recovery.

    This month there have been a few fundraising events happening in the community to help with Evan's journey. We would like to extend our gratitude to Mike Fanning, the Tokoroa Golf club and everyone behind the scenes for organizing the golf tournament last Saturday! From what we hear, it was a great day with a massive turn out and I know the Ev would have loved to have been there. ⛳🏌️

    I'm sure you will have all seen the DEF fundraiser tees! The design was a bit of a group effort but we would like to say thank you to Chey from DEF for putting this fundraiser together. For those of you who don't know, the images on the tees are actually from photos taken of Evan's tattoos (taken while he was sleeping to keep the element of surprise 😂) So, we also want to say thank you to Nick from Black Crow Custom Tattoo Studio for allowing us to use his designs. We have loved seeing the photos/selfies of everyone wearing their tees, keep them coming!

    😁🤳

    We would also like to say thank you to Thelma, the MC Fitness crew and the challangers who are currently running a 6 week challenge. 🏋️‍♂️💪MC are kindly donating $20 per challenger to our givealittle page!

    We hope that we can one day repay the kindness and generosity that we have been shown this year, it has been so much greater than we ever expected.

    Forever thankful,

    Evan, Cindy, Koston & Cooper 💕

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment

  • Ev's Progress...💞

      21 February 2023
    Posted by: Cindy Dickinson
    Main image

    EVs 2nd round of treatment went really well, he managed to avoid infection and maintain an appetite. After just over 3 weeks his blood count was back up to a normal rate and he was allowed home for 5 days. He still has moments where he struggles with his stroke symptoms but overall much stronger and less tired.

    At home we try to be careful not to come in contact with any germs. We kept the kids at home, had lots of cuddles, we went for a few little walks, visited the skatepark in the early hours of the morning and ate lots of yummy food. We are looking forward to doing it all again in another 3-4 weeks.

    Ev arrived back in Waikato hospital today for his 3rd (of probably 5) round of chemo. He has just had another bone marrow biopsy this afternoon, the procedure went well. The samples are to be flown to a lab in Sydney today so I'm not too sure how long results take to come back, hopefully just a few days. It seems that although the chemo plan is working, the exact type of Leukemia is still to be diagnosed.

    We will be forever grateful for all of your support, your thoughts, your messages and donations. Thanks to you, I am able to take time away from work to be able be with Evan and our family. It really does take a whole village.

    x

      1 comment  |  Login to leave a comment

    • 25/02/2023 by Karin

      Good work Evan, great news on your blood count! You are amazing Cindy, thanks for the update. Hugs to you all xox

  • Thank you

      23 January 2023
    Posted by: Cindy Dickinson
    Main image

    To all of our friends and family🥰

    Ev and I thought it was about time we give you all a little update on his journey to wellness.

    This is a brief explanation of what has been happening so far. On the 27th Dec at 3am Ev knew that something wasn't quite right. We shot up to the Tokoroa hospital where he was told he has probably had a stroke. He was flown to Waikato hospital for a scan which confirmed a minor stroke. 6 hours and lots of blood tests later, we were told that he has Leukemia and his condition was very serious. After a hellish few weeks and a second stroke, things seemed to have settled.

    He has now successfully completed his first round of chemotherapy. And is recovering and regaining the strength he lost due to the strokes. ❤️‍🩹

    Ev was discharged for 5 days to be able to spend some time at home before heading back up to Waikato to begin the second round of treatment. The last 5 days have almost felt normal (well, maybe more like a five day hangover😅) We have filled our days by cuddling the kids, watching telly, having naps and eating yummy food. Ev even managed a little early morning walk around the skatepark. (see pic)

    As the days go by and the number of generous donors like yourselves donate to us increases, the more we are taken back and humbled. We have been riding enormous emotional waves and after reading all of your messages we know that you are riding along side us. Your ongoing support has blown us away and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts x

      1 comment  |  Login to leave a comment

    • 23/01/2023 by Sue

      Been thinking about all of you and this journey that you are now on. Take care and love, laugh and enjoy each other. Sending hugs and huge healing thoughts to you all ❣️ Sue and Ed