Please help Julia eat and drink again!
This fundraising is to help Julia access critical surgery in Germany so she can eat and drink again and regain quality of life.
Wellington
Julia needs surgery which is not available in NZ. She cannot eat or drink and suffers from vomiting, pain and other horrific symptoms.
Julia is a bright, determined 15yo with an amazing attitude despite her terrible health challenges. Julia loves school and is a loyal, fun friend and sibling. She used to do competitive Cheerleading, tumbling, violin, debating and babysitting and helped teach younger Cheer teams. All this has been taken from her by her health issues.
Since March 2023, Julia has been in and out of hospital, sometimes for weeks with medical instability. She has endured dozens of horrific invasive procedures and relies on a nasal tube for all hydration and nutrition. She has very little quality of life.
Julia’s symptoms are caused by multiple abdominal vascular compression syndromes and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a rare connective tissue disorder). Vascular surgeons in NZ, Germany and the US agree that Julia needs surgery asap. The longer her blood vessels are compressed, the more her organs are damaged. This highly specialized surgery is unavailable in NZ but an expert in Germany can operate her. The surgeon (who has treated over a dozen Kiwis) is confident his surgery will enable her to eat and drink, resolve her other symptoms and restore quality of life.
Julia is often told how she inspires people with her incredible resilience and positive attitude. All she wants is to go to school again, do her hobbies and have fun with her friends. Please help her.
Babette Puetz's involvement (page creator)
Julia's Mother and Bill Choquette is her father
Use of funds
Thank you for your generous support, which we greatly appreciate.
All funds donated will be used to help cover the costs for Julia’s surgery and related costs, such as travel and rehabilitation.
Latest update
Home again! 2 December 2024
We made it back to New Zealand! It’s so good to have the whole family together again.
It was a long and exhausting journey for Julia, but she is so much better than she used to be before the operation. In the week we have been back, she has been able to catch up with her friends, started physiotherapy to re-build her strength and is looking forward to going back to school next year.
This Christmas will be so different from last year’s for Julia: she can eat and drink again, has energy and is spending the run up to the holidays at home and not stuck in hospital for weeks on end, so ill that we had to fear for her life.
We feel incredibly lucky and grateful that we had the chance to take Julia abroad to get help from an amazing team of doctors, who really understand Julia’s conditions. It is so good to see Julia so much healthier, enjoying life and making plans for the future again. Thank you all for your part in making this possible and for taking an interest in how she is doing. This is the most special Christmas present Julia will ever get!
Latest donations
Thank you so much, Judy, for your lovely message and very kind donation, which we will use towards Julia's physiotherapy costs. Happy Christmas to you, too!
Thank you so much, Guest Donor, for thinking of Julia and donating! Julia is recovering really well.
Danke für Deine lieben Worte, Nina, und die Spende. Es geht auf jeden Fall aufwärts.
Oh, wow, Rachel! Thank you so much! x
Vielen, vielen Dank, liebe Tatjana! xxx
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