Rebuilding life after Cancer and Cyclone Gabrielle

Our dearest Kate has had a very rough 6 months! She was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and within 2 weeks had her first surgery to remove the tumours. She ended up needing two operations and then had very intensive radiation therapy in Palmerston North. She managed a few weeks of work before Christmas, and then had to have an operation to remove her ovaries just after the new year. However, she suffered multiple infections and complications so was off work for an extended period of time. We were so excited to have her finally back at work on Monday 13th February for half a day. But little did we know that as we hugged her goodbye after lunch, that it would be the last time we would see her at work again. Cyclone Gabrielle hit that evening and her house was completely flooded on Tuesday morning. Poor Kate had to be rescued and crawl out of a window (just think of all her scars!). Her dream home was destroyed and she has lost everything. And now she has to join the long queue of displaced/rescued people who are looking for a rental in a place that already has a major housing crisis.

I would love to raise money to help Kate and her family rebuild and restore them home and find a safe place to recover from all the trauma that they have been through. Also, their insurance will most likely not cover the costs of everything lost. Some things will be irreplaceable, like photos and children's mementos, but I would love to see a healthy Kate in a warm, dry home again.