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Love & Support for Hugo and his family as he fights Cancer

  • One Year On (part 2)

      26 January 2025
    Posted by: Samantha Donaldson

    We were also incredibly lucky to meet in person over the holidays families of two other boys who are on the same journey - one family a year ahead of us and another who started this journey at the same time. There is nothing like having people who know exactly what you are going through to lean on during these times.

    Finally we want to let you know how proud of Louis we are and how he has handled the last year. Despite everything his brother is going through he has excelled at school and continues to be absolutely obsessed with his football. Louis certainly has some spirit to him but he is a caring soul with a heart of gold.

    We feel incredibly blessed to be where we are right now after what has been a brutal year. We continue to focus on living in the present and plan for a bright future. Hold your loved ones tight and focus on the good.

    Love Aaron, Sam, Hugo and Louis ❤️

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  • One Year On (part 1)

      26 January 2025
    Posted by: Samantha Donaldson
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    This week has been a big week for us all and we thought it would be a good time to update all those that have supported us over the last year - yes it has been one year this week since Hugo was admitted to hospital and we were to have our lives changed forever.

    Since Hugo finished front line treatment, he transitioned back to school through term 4 and by the end of the term he was essentially back full time. We were incredibly proud with how well he did, and forever grateful to the support his friends provided (and continue to provide) and how supportive Beachlands Primary (and the community as a whole) has been to this part of his journey.

    It has been a tough few months leading up to Xmas and new years. Hugo’s December scan showed a new area of concern and we had to wait until early January to scan again. Thankfully that scan brought good news and the medical team let us know that they were confident it wasn't what we dreaded. We are incredibly grateful for the result but it's fair to say Sam and I have been left a little raw from the experience. The new reality of 3 monthly scans and nervous waits is something we are not quite sure how to process right now.

    This week brought another great milestone for Hugo as he had the “port’ removed from his chest. For those of you who don't know this is a device that is implanted under his skin in his chest and leads directly into a vein to deliver all his frontline treatment.

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  • August 2024 update

      3 September 2024
    Posted by: Samantha Donaldson
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    As we head into Father’s Day Sam and I received the best news we could have. Hugo had his end of frontline treatment scans which were all clear and showed no active cancer. This doesn’t mean the hard journey is over but it is the first step and not everyone is lucky enough to take that first step, so for that we are grateful.

    The past 7 months have been immensely tough but we are blessed to have the support of amazing family, friends and the wider community.

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  • End of front line update

      18 July 2024
    Posted by: Samantha Donaldson
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    Hi everyone,

    We are pleased to share that Hugo has reached a significant milestone of finishing his front line treatment! Last week, he completed his final round of front line chemo and wrapped up 5.5 weeks of daily radiation. This is a huge step forward, and we couldn't be prouder of our brave boy.

    We have to wait until the end of August for his next scans, but the good news is that his scans from May showed further positive progress. Hugo continues to amaze us with his resilience, positive attitude, and unbreakable sense of humor. Soon Hugo will begin daily oral chemo which he will take for 2 years.

    We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed to Hugo's give-a-little page. Your generosity allows us to dedicate as much time as possible to supporting Hugo and to go above and beyond the standard of care - engaging with experts within NZ and the US and implementing those solutions. We also deeply appreciate everyone who has supported us in other ways, from sending messages of encouragement, preparing dinners, sharing coffees, being a listening ear or shoulder to cry on, playing games of football, play dates with our boys or giving gifts that bring smiles to our boys' faces.

    While the journey is not over, we celebrate this milestone and look forward to the next stage with hope in our hearts.

    Thank you for being with us every step of the way.

    Love,

    Aaron, Sam, Hugo, Louis, and Coco

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  • Update on Hugo Part 2

      24 April 2024
    Posted by: Samantha Donaldson

    Of course we would like to thank all those who have generously donated to our Give a Little fund (we have read each and every one of your messages ❤️). Accepting donations is an uncomfortable feeling, but this fund is and will be going to good use in aiding Hugo’s fight. As we want to give Hugo the best chance possible, we have chosen to take an integrative approach to Hugo’s cancer fight by complementing his mainstream treatment with complementary treatments, along with consulting with off-shore oncologists specialising in sarcomas. These things however cost a lot of money! We are also both working reduced hours so that we can care for Hugo at home so this fund aids us with day to day life, mortgage and bills and all the extras we feel Hugo needs right now. Finally there is always the possibility of needing to travel for treatment or trials that are unavailable in NZ.

    Again thank you for everything - it means so much to our family and we are truly grateful.

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  • Update on Hugo Part 1

      24 April 2024
    Posted by: Samantha Donaldson
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    Hugo had his first scans recently (post cycle 3 of his chemo) to check progress and we are happy to report great news. Hugo’s main tumour has shrunk to the point they can’t measure it and all his metastasis have either shrunk or gone. This is amazing news and a huge relief to know everything he has endured through his chemotherapy so far has been for good reason. It’s a cautious celebration as we still have a big fight left due the difficult nature of Hugo’s type of cancer but we are certainly celebrating this win.

    Hugo has now completed 5 cycles of 9 rounds of chemotherapy and we are so so proud of how he is coping with everything. He’s had to overcome huge challenges and his bravery and resilience astounds us. Hugo has had to overcome some real trauma in this journey and it's not always easy but he approaches it with real grit and a good dose of humour (who else takes a clump of hair out of their head, puts its on their chest and cheekily tells a nurse “hey look Im growing hair on my chest”).

    We want to take this opportunity also to thank each and every person who has supported us in any way including messages of support, extra pairs of hands with things like meals, child care, help around the house and so much more. We know we are extremely lucky to have such an amazing wider community helping us through this.

    To be continued in part 2 (there’s a limit!)

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