Let’s come together for Iona & family

Our brother Alastair and his wife Jerina’s darling little girl Iona has recently been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

The past weeks have been a scary rollercoaster - from when she suddenly stopped eating and drinking, to the devastating discovery that she has tumours all over her bones, and an extremely rare form of blood cancer as the cause.

A complication is a tumour pressing on her spinal cord, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. We are hopeful that she may regain some control, but there are no guarantees.

Iona is currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy at Starship Hospital. She is in a small negative pressure room after testing positive for Covid and may need to remain there for up to six months, as it’s too risky for her to leave while her immune system is removed by the chemo.

Through all these challenges, Iona is showing incredible strength and spirit — still finding the energy to play, and managing to eat small amounts, hot cross buns are one of her favourites!

We have set up this page to support this beautiful family through what will be a long and challenging journey.

The biggest impact for Al and Jerina is loss of income. Alastair is taking extended time off work, and Jerina unable to work at this time. There is also the possibility of long-term changes to how they work, depending on how well Iona recovers.

We deeply appreciate any gift as an outreach of love and support from friends and family. We would be grateful if you could share this page too.