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Raising funds for Sophia and her beautiful whanau.

  • Thank You

      16 June 2022
    Posted by: Sophia Perera
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    I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone for all the unbelievable support to date, as I navigate the roller coaster that is incurable cancer. I am truly grateful for all the incredibly generous donations, as any funds raised will continue to go towards helping, support me through my day to day life and creating more memories to treasure with my family, while I am continue to have ongoing immunotherapy treatment of Nivolumab every two weeks for the next few years or longer to help keep the tumours at bay. It also helps with other support for the side effects of the drug and to go towards the possibility of other cancer treatments in the future. Feel free to follow my story on instagram @sophiaperera

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  • Event coming up!

      16 August 2021
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    Hey all - extending the Givealittle page as we are still trying to hit our target!

    I wanted to come on and say thank you all again so much for your generous donations so far.

    Right now we are planning a fundraising event which will be held at The Delicious Bistro, here in Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland on September 10th. (Ticketing details to be confirmed shortly!)

    If you know anyone who may be able to donate an auctionable item for our high ticket auction I would LOVE to hear from you.

    Whether it be something tangible or a voicemail from an AB or a Hollywood Star we would be SO grateful.

    Please email me at julie@nrf2forlife.com

    Thank you all again SO much 💜

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  • Update!

      27 May 2021
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    Hi all - just a quick update to let you all know that it has just been brought to our attention that the page was closed for two days as the givealittle end date passed by without me realising it!! Entirely my fault but we are now still trying to hit our target figure.

    Some of you may know that Sophia was admitted into hospital with pneumonia over the weekend but being the trooper that she is, managed to pop down to Queenstown for a couple of days thanks to the kindness of another friend. Making memories is what it's all about and you just have to grab every opportunity!

    Really happy to be given the chance however to thank you all once again for your wonderful generosity.

    Julie 💜

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  • Finally some good news! 💜

      11 May 2021
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    Latest update from Sophia....

    “Just got some amazing news from my oncologist today who had applied for funding on my behalf for an immunotherapy drug that is similar to Keytruda but from another pharmaceutical company and we just found out it has been approved!!!

    I was not expecting this news given my cancer is so rare but I am just ecstatic and so happy to finally have some good news.”

    We are so, so grateful to everyone for your incredibly generous donations and we will continue to raise funds to help support Sophia & her family through her day to day life and the possibility of other cancer treatments in the future. Also, unfortunately given her diagnosis is terminal, we would also love for Sophia to be able to use some of the funds to help tick off her bucket list & create more memories with Cam & Augustina and of course help provide for Augustina’s future. Julie x

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  • Recent updates mean we need to up our goal!

      30 April 2021
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    From Sophia:

    For those of you who don’t know, the latest development is last week we were dealt another devastating blow when we were told by my oncologist that the chemotherapy is not working and the tumour is continuing to grow aggressively 🥺

    At worst this means, if I don’t do anything I am looking down the barrel of only 3 months left to live. It is incredibly difficult to carry on day to day being mentally present knowing your days are numbered, but I have to try for my families sake 🥺

    So, after exhausting all possible options to shrink this tumour including two different rounds of chemo and invasive surgery with no success, the last resort to try and give me more time on this earth is to try immunotherapy.

    Unfortunately, the 2 different immunotherapy drugs I need(one of them is Keytruda) are not publicly funded for a lot of cancers including my extremely rare sarcoma.

    Therefore, we will continue to fundraise through a variety of different avenues including holding fundraisers and the givealittle page to help fund these new immunotherapy drugs.

    Once again, I’m so totally overwhelmed with with the generosity and kindness of people to date. I honestly never imagined that so many people would care and donate so much. I am so grateful to each and everyone of you - the people who have commented, messaged, donated, shared. You have all made a huge difference!

    My focus now is to make as many memories as I can with my precious family and daughter and try and tick some of the things off my bucket list in the time I have left 💜

    Thank you all again for the love and support and following me through this difficult journey 💜

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  • Thank you!!

      18 March 2021
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    Oh my goodness, we are just blown away by the overwhelming feeling of love that has been extended to Sophia through all of the incredibly generous donations and beautiful messages of pure aroha that have come through.

    We have been asked to provide an update now that we have exceeded what we thought might be an unsurmountable goal, as to what any and all additional donations will go towards.

    It is incredibly important to Sophia that Augustina will be well provided for and the majority of these donations (as well as any surplus) will go towards a fund for her future.

    Sophia and Cam are also seeking potential clinical trials overseas all going well.

    Once again, from the bottom of our hearts - thank you so so much 💜 💜 💜

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  • 23/02/21

      23 February 2021

    Unfortunately, although the surgery was successful in removing the tumour at the time. Last week Sophia received tragic news that the tumour had grown back extremely quickly and aggressively following surgery in the space of a month. From the tumour that was removed the Pathologists were finally able to identify the type of cancer and it is the one of the rarest types of cancer in the world, called Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma. It is so rare that only 400-500 people in the world have been diagnosed with this type of sarcoma and no one has ever survived at this aggressive stage.

    It is incurable and terminal and although Sophia will be restarting chemo this week, all it will do is help prolong her time that little bit more so she can spend time with her family.

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    • 23/02/2021 by Christina

      Dear Sophia, Words cannot express my sorrow at hearing your news. You, Cam and Augustina are often in my thoughts and prayers. Wishing you all the best with your chemo. My kindest regards.

    • 14/03/2021 by Elizabeth

      https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/nagourney-cancer-institute-successes/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=12-03-2021

      Here they remove a portion of tumour/cancer cells and find perfect chemotherapy combo to treat the cancer. Hope you see this.

    • 15/03/2021 by gopali

      Wishing you all the best!! Do please check out the https://hope4cancer.com/ clinic, they have helped a couple of my friends reverse their terminal cancer diagnosis. Prayers and love to all of you!

    • 15/03/2021 by Vivienne

      Please contact Viv@race4life.org.nz

      Click below on:

      Www.race4life.org.nz

      View our beautiful work.

      We are a charity that fulfils the wishes of palliative care patients in nz.

      Please contact us

      We would love yo help if we can