Help Ady Keep Cancer Under Control
Financial assistance towards unfunded treatments to help prevent Adrienne's cancer from growing and spreading.
Auckland
As members of Adrienne's family, we are asking for your help. Adrienne has been diagnosed with advanced stage 4 bowel cancer. To help keep her cancer under control, she needs medicine that is not funded in the public health system.
Her oncologist has identified two targeted treatments for her type of cancer that are registered by Medsafe, recommended by PHARMAC and are proven to be successful. Unfortunately, these treatments are not currently funded in New Zealand (unlike in many other OECD countries such as Australia), so she will need to pay for them.
Only a few weeks ago Adrienne was leading a fit and active lifestyle working as a primary school teacher on Auckland's North Shore. She had no cancer symptoms and sadly, it was only once the cancer had spread to other organs that she first started experiencing symptoms. Since her diagnosis, Ady, her husband James and two gorgeous daughters Dominique (13) and Casey (10) have been navigating the ups and downs of this completely unexpected diagnosis.
Your donation - big or small - will make a difference. We know that access to unfunded cancer treatments could help improve Ady's quality of life and make our time as a family as normal as possible.
More than that, it could change our world.
With gratitude from the bottom of our hearts,
The Smithson & Maltby families
Anne-Elise Smithson's involvement (page creator)
Adrienne is my sister
Use of funds
Two targeted treatments for Adrienne that are currently unfunded - Avastin & Cetuximab. These are registered by Medsafe, recommended by PHARMAC and proven to be successful in stopping cancer from spreading.
Latest update
Celebrating Adrienne - funeral details 15 October 2024
Friends and family are invited to celebrate Adrienne Smithson on Saturday 19 October, 2:30pm at Dil's Funeral Services, 185 Schnapper Rock Road Albany, Auckland.
Please feel free to wear something orange in honour of her favourite colour.
Latest donations
Thank you so much for your generosity. Ady is doing better these days, only thanks to the targeted treatment, that people like you helped her to receive. Thank you 😊
Merry Christmas to our dear Canadian friends. Much love from our family to yours.
Dear Gay, thank you for your support ❤️ Much appreciated, much love from our family.
Sarah, thanks for your message and kind support during this time. 🙏 We appreciate it!
Dear Brian and Rita, thank you so much for generosity. It means so much for Ady to have the funds she needs to keep her targeted treatment going. Thank you!
Who's involved?
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