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Help us fund medical treatment for Maia not available in New Zealand

  • 8 weeks post-op, 4 weeks home!

      15 May 2025
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    Morēna e te whānau, we have now been home from Germany for 4 weeks! The rest of our Germany trip went really fast, and time has really flown by while we have been settling into normal family life again, but I thought it was time to give a little update now that the page has closed.

    The trip home from Germany was long and exhausting, but the reward at the end was seeing the other half of our little quartet waiting for us at the airport! The relief of hearing "Kia ora" from the flight attendants on our last couple of flights was also huge, as well as stepping back onto home ground. Jet lag, on the other hand, was brutal, and took a long time to recover from.

    Since surgery 8 weeks ago, and after returning home, Maia has had a lot of wins. She is able to eat and drink, and is more mobile than before, which she feels has made the experience worth it. There is still a long process of recovery to go, but we are quietly celebrating the wins.

    There are no words to express how grateful I am that you all made this happen. You have given Maia a chance at a normal life, and while this came at a significant financial and emotional cost, I honestly believe this is priceless. Knowing that we had such a supportive and caring community cheering us on from across the world also made the hard parts of the experience more bearable, so thank you.

    You have our love and our gratitude.

    Aroha atu, aroha mai,

    Rebecca xx

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    • 15/05/2025 by Kate

      Thank you for the update. It was a pleasure to be able to help, even just a little bit, with Maia and your whanau’s journey. I’m so pleased it was a success and even though there are hard days to come the fact that she can now move forth and live a life she deserves is as you say priceless.

    • 16/05/2025 by Helen

      Thanks for the update. Maia and family look at all you have been through to date you are amazing and we wish you all the best for the future on the next steps in life 🌸

  • We made it!!

      17 March 2025
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    Kia ora e te whānau, we have been in Germany for a week! The trip over here was brutal, involving 4 flights and 2 train trips, and a massive amount of exhaustion.

    Just before we left we were told that scans and surgery had been brought forward a day, which rushed the process a bit. Maia had her scan in Leipzig, and then we took another 5 hour train trip to Dusseldorf to check into the clinic.

    However once we arrived in Dusseldorf on Tuesday, we were told surgery had been pushed back until the following Tuesday due to admin issues.

    So we have been hanging around in the clinic for the last few days, recovering from the journey over.

    On Friday we were told that they had been able to bring surgery forward a day, so it is now tomorrow, not Tuesday.

    We're hoping to still make it back to NZ within the planned time frame, but are very aware that if things don't go to plan, then we will need to delay our travel home.

    At this stage though, please send all of your positive vibes for Maia as she finally has the surgery we have been waiting for for so long. Thank you all for your continued support.

    Arohanui 💜

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    • 19/03/2025 by Mary

      Yay. I hope all went well for you Maia. We look forward to upcoming updates x

  • The countdown is on!

      2 March 2025

    Kia ora e te whānau! It's been a crazy few weeks of planning and organising, while also managing day-to-day life, so apologies for the radio silence since our last post. Thank you to everyone that has donated, every little bit has helped, as global rising costs have meant that everything has jumped around $20,000 in price. Surgery is now paid for though!

    This week we were able to catch up with Matthew Dallas from the Manawatu Standard ahead of our journey to Germany. It's been great to have the Standard follow our progress over the last year and the awareness it has brought has been invaluable. The main thing I want to clarify this time, is that Maia has only had her NJ tube since 2023, rather than 2022 as stated in the article 😊

    Yesterday marked the 1 week countdown until we leave NZ, and nerves are definitely starting to kick in for me. It's going to be a pretty brutal few days of travelling for Maia especially, but I'll update as often as I can.

    Arohanui 💜

    https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360595914/gratitude-and-awe-starving-teens-imminent-surgery-germany-doesnt-seem-real

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  • A big fundraising goal update!

      17 January 2025

    Ata mārie e te whānau. We have an update, and it's a pretty big one.

    Last week my parents were able to pull together $40,000 to go towards Maia's surgery in Germany, and we are now only around $5000 away from reaching our goal of $170,000 (taking into account the approx $2,500 in fees that Givealittle take).

    This means we have been able to book the complex imaging required in Leipzig, Germany for 11 March 2025, and surgery will be in the week following this. We are going to Germany and Maia will have her life-changing surgery.

    There aren't any words to tell you all how grateful we are for your help in getting this far. We could not have done it without all of you. The next few weeks will be a bit crazy as we try to organise the million things that need to be done before we leave, but we will keep you all as updated as we can.

    Please feel free to share our Givealittle page if you can, as getting the last little bit of funds will help to give me (Rebecca) some financial breathing room while I am off work supporting Maia, as well as ensuring we are covered in case of unanticipated things while in Germany.

    Ngā mihi me te aroha nui

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  • Fundraising update!

      10 December 2024

    Kia ora e te whānau, it's been a while since we posted an update! Life seems to be moving at a million miles an hour, and yet is still at a standstill in so many ways. A raffle set up by Team Ryan and Gifkins and an amazing group of sponsers was drawn, and raised a whopping $10,000 towards Maia's surgery! Congratulations to the winner, and huge thanks to everyone who took part in any way.

    As we head into the holiday season, and approach the 1 year anniversary of Maia's diagnosis, I've been reflecting on all of the changes we have had over this year.

    This time last year, we were preparing to head to Hamilton for the scans that would confirm what we had already suspected- that Maia had a number of Abdominal Vascular Compression Syndromes that were causing her debilitating symptoms, and severely restricting her quality of life. We knew that the treatment options available to her would be limited, and would likely come at what felt like an insurmountable cost. As a solo parent, there was simply no way that I could make this happen on my own.

    A year on, with the help of our generous community, we have raised just over $122,000. It feels like we are on the home stretch, and that surgery will happen sooner rather than later.

    You have all made this happen for us, and there are no words to adequately express how grateful I am for what you have all given for my daughter.

    Have a happy and safe Holidays, and know that we are all so grateful for you all.

    Aroha atu, Aroha mai.

    Rebecca

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  • Fundraising goal update!

      6 September 2024

    Kia ora e te whānau, a bit of an update on the fundraising front! We have had people busily fundraising on our behalf externally from the givealittle, with funds raised by Central Normal Primary School, private donations given by an anonymous donor, and the ongoing efforts of my mum and her colleagues! These donations totaled $2,473!

    In addition to this, we have received a donation of $20,000 from Richard Lester, which is so incredibly generous and we are so grateful for.

    This reduces our givealittle fundraising goal to $102,927, so we are well over halfway to getting Maia to Germany!

    A massive thank you to everyone for your continued support and donations. It's starting to feel like we're actually going to get Maia her surgery and we couldn't have gotten this far without you all.

    Much aroha and appreciation from our little whănau 💜

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  • Fundraising goal update!

      17 June 2024

    Kia ora koutou, we have a big fundraising update! We have received a private donation of $35,000 from an incredibly kind and generous person, who would like to remain anonymous. Words cannot describe how grateful we are for this.

    We have reduced the total fundraising goal on our givealittle $125,400 to reflect both this donation and the other external fundraising efforts that have taken place to date!

    Thank you all for your ongoing support and generosity 💜

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  • Fundraising goal update

      13 April 2024

    Our fundraising goal is now $162,000 thanks to the amazing work of everyone who took part in the Hot Rod Fundraiser in Tokomaru. Thank you so much to everyone who was involved 💜

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  • Update- Car Show fundraiser was a huge success!

      13 April 2024
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    Hi everyone, just a wee update. Firstly I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated and/or shared Maia's Givealittle over the past week. The support we have received has been incredible, and we are so very grateful to you all.

    Secondly I'd just like to share the final total that was raised from the amazing fundraiser that was held in Tokomaru last Friday- $8051!!! It was a great night with a huge turnout, and the organisors did such an amazing job. As these funds were raised separately to the givealittle, they will be put aside and taken from the total that needs to be raised, meaning that our fundraising goal is now $162,000. We will continue to do this following any external fundraising that is arranged.

    Once again, thank you. Your support means so much to us. Please continue to share our page far and wide, and pop over to our Facebook or Instagram pages to follow Maia's journey.

    Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou,

    Rebecca

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