Help Toutai and his family battle Encephalitis

Toutai Mafi is a 10 year old boy from Dunedin who is currently critically unwell in ICU in Auckland’s Starship Hospital after a sudden illness required urgent medical treatment. He has been diagnosed with Autoimmune Encephalitis and faces a long road to recovery. Autoimmune Encephalitis is a type of brain inflammation where the body's immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues in the brain.

Toutai is a talented sportsman and popular student at St Bernadette’s school in Dunedin where his smiling face is greatly missed. His whole family have had to suddenly move their lives to Auckland so he can get the care he needs, and it will be several months of treatment ahead to enable Toutai to return to health.

Toutai’s mum Eva, his Dad Paongo and sister Abigail are a close family unit and they have all had to unexpectedly leave behind jobs and school so they can be in Auckland to support their beloved boy. They are proud members of their local Tongan church and community, and are all missing their friends and family, and life as they knew it.

Toutai’s return to health is the family’s immediate priority, but they will be affected by the sudden loss in income and this page has been set up to help support them cover bills and expenses and give them one less thing to worry about.