Hope for Hollie

Beautiful 8-year-old Hollie Beattie is currently in the middle of the fight of her life.

In July 2018 Hollie was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer called Neuroblastoma.

Since then, Hollie and her family, Dad John, Mum Jo and Big Brother William have been on the most harrowing roller coaster of a journey.

After an initial round of chemotherapy and surgery to remove the main tumor, it was shattering for them to hear that the repeat tests showed the treatment had failed to make an impact on the disease in her bone marrow. It was a heart-breaking outcome.

As a result, Hollie was unable to begin the first stem cell transplant that had been scheduled for January 2019, and after an agonizing week waiting for approval from the USA for an immunotherapy drug, she began a new set of combined chemo and immunotherapy cycles on the 19th December, and made it home just in time for Christmas after the first round.

Following these rounds of treatment, Hollie has also now completed two stem cell transplants which included two sets of four week stays in Starship hospital, with Hollie in isolation each time followed by additional weeks of radiation which took her through to April 2020.

After testing and scans on completion of all treatment, residual disease was still showing in her left Tibia, but her bone marrow was clear, which was another small step in the right direction.

Surgery followed again to remove the remaining cancer from her leg and following this in July the Beattie’s received the fantastic news that Hollies test results were finally clear.

Despite being in various forms of lockdown for covid-19, they made the most of their time and regrouped as a family spending as much time together as possible.

Hollie's scheduled 3-month tests were in September, always a very worrying time for the family and this time the news was devastating as her scans showed signs that her cancer had returned, this time as a tumor in her brain.

The impact on the family has been unfathomable and the reality of what they had to face over the coming months hit like a wrecking ball.

Starship were incredible as always and had Hollie in for surgery to remove the tumor within a week.

After an overwhelming fundraising effort late last year, enough money was raised to get Hollie over to Spain on to a trial to target the cancer in her brain and spinal fluid.

Hollie and her Mum flew to Barcelona in January 2021 leaving John and William here in NZ to get started on the trial.

In April however, their worst fears were realised when the cancer in Hollies bone marrow relapsed and she had to be removed from the trial that she was already on. The impact on the family left them devastated once again, but this time they were apart and unable to support each other in person.

Thankfully Hollie is in Spain where the latest treatments are available in the form of immunotherapy for relapsed Neuroblastoma in bone marrow, but of course the family are now facing astronomical costs again for the treatment and there stay in Spain is likely to extend towards the end of this year.

The strain they are under is unfathomable.

This is where we can all help this incredible family again.

It has been indicated that the new immunotherapy treatment will cost in the region of $300,000, which is overwhelming amount to be faced with yet again.

Fundraising is going to be vital to get this family through the next phase, and we need each and everyone of us to spread the word, share Hollies story and hold fundraising events up and down the country and around the world to get us to the end goal.

We have a big target to hit again, but with the help and support of our wonderful community, we know we can come together to help give Hollie this shot at the future she so deserves.

We've done it before, and as a team we can do it again.

Thank you for anything you can do to help, and please reach out via this page if you would like any guidance, additional information or tips on fundraising we will be here to help you.

We are forever grateful for the continued support, it means everything x

https://www.facebook.com/hopeforhollie