Help a 13-year-old Christchurch girl during her battle with cancer: Paris marathon fundraiser

Background about Ella:

Ella is a 13-year-old girl who has spent the last few years living with a flurry of medical difficulties. In 2013 she started complaining about knee pain when she was training for cross country with the Canterbury team – She represented Canterbury up in Nelson at the end of September, with her knee strapped up and in quite a lot of pain. After 3 weeks of physio and it becoming increasingly swollen she had an X-ray, which revealed a tumour in her left femur; This was on October 23rd 2013 when she was 9-years-old (coming up 10 that December) – She started chemo a few weeks later.

In January 2014, Ella was presented with an extremely difficult choice, and personally chose to undergo a rotationplasty – an amputation of a portion of the leg. She then completed chemo in July. After a couple of months, she started swimming lessons at Waitaha in Christchurch; a sport she both enjoyed greatly, and had huge talent for.

Calamity returned six months later when a new tumour was discovered at the top of her right lung; however, this was quickly removed and Ella was back swimming 11 days later.

Following this, Ella began to receive trimonthly scans for two years; and as these returned clear results each time, the scans were moved to happen every six months from February this year.

Unfortunately, in August doctors found a 2.5cm tumour in the lower lobe of her right lung, and once again Ella had to undergo a major surgery, this time to remove the whole lobe. But she recovered well and was back in the water 13 days later! She has had a double Portacath inserted under her skin for a trial immunotherapy treatment which is now available in New Zealand, and will finish at the end of January 2018. This treatment does cause a lot of pain while it infuses over 4 days, but when she can, she gets out of bed and goes on the exercise bike which the nurses bring into her room!

Despite the enormous difficulties that Ella has had to face over the past few years she has always tried to stay positive, cheerful, and make the most out of life. She has been back skiing, tried water skiing, goes knee boarding on Lake Benmore, takes part in the Halberg Junior Disability Games for swimming and athletics, and is a member of Paralympic Potential program squad in Auckland.

Fundraising:

My name is Ricardo Felitti, I am a swimming instructor at the Canterbury Swim School – the home of Waitaha where Ella swims. Earlier this year when I was doing a football course in Auckland I made the decision to run the Paris Marathon in April 2018. Discussing this idea with my colleagues Gary Ogilvie and Stephen Hoyle, they mentioned that I could do some fundraising to help someone in need.

I immediately thought of someone who very much relates to the task ahead, full of perseverance and determination. She is someone who is always smiling, no matter what the situation holds. A girl who I know is going through much tougher hardships than training for a major marathon; and who definitely is going to be my inspiration when it is time to train. When it is miserable and cold in Christchurch; when I am pushing through my 35th kilometre, with another 10 to go, while my body is screaming for me to stop, and my thoughts are nothing but “why am I doing this!?”

Ella, you are the reason that I am doing this. You are my inspiration, my reason to never stop, and to always keep smiling.

Bonjour!!!!