Support for a young family with a 6-month-old who's daddy (36) has just been diagnosed with Stage 3C Germ Cell Cancer
Hamilton, Waikato
Sam and Danni should be heading into the holiday season enjoying their first Christmas as a family with their 6-month-old son, Leo.
Unfortunately, just three weeks ago, Sam thought he was dealing with gallstones. Instead, he was diagnosed with Stage 3C Germ Cell Cancer, which has caused tumors on distant lymph nodes and organs. He has been rushed into hospital to begin intense chemotherapy, leaving the family facing fear, uncertainty, and enormous pressure.
With Sam unable to work and Danni on maternity leave until February, financial stress is overwhelming. Mortgage payments, bills, hospital travel, and day-to-day costs are piling up at a time when their focus should be on Sam’s treatment and their little family.
We are reaching out for your help.
Our goal is to raise $10,000 to support Sam and Danni through the coming months — easing financial pressure so Sam can focus on healing, and their family can get through the holiday season with some breathing room.
Anything you can give — even the price of your Monday coffee — would make a meaningful difference. Every donation shows they are not walking this path alone.
If you’d like to help in other ways — freezer meals, snacks, care packages, or day-to-day support — please contact Lucy Hendry-Jefferies on 021 0235 2707, who is coordinating assistance.
Thank you for standing with Sam, Danni, and their little family during this incredibly difficult time. Your kindness truly matters.
#TribeArts&Smith
Danni (wife to Sam and mother to Leo) is my best friend. She is one of the most caring, compassionate and loving people you will ever meet. She is a blessing to world and deserves to be surrounded with support. She is simply an amazing human, mum and wife.
10/12/2025: Day to day living costs, day care for Leo in 2026, travel expenses to and from hospital, wages for Sam while he is unable to work, treatment costs.
20/05/2026: Funds will now also help prepare for funeral expenses
Page Closing Soon - One Final Thank You 6 September 2026
As our Givealittle page comes to a close tomorrow, I wanted to share one final message of thanks.
Over the past months, our wee whānau have been carried through the most difficult chapter of our lives by the incredible kindness and compassion of our village and wider community.
Because of your generosity, Sam was able to spend precious time with those he loved most, and Leo and I have been given comfort and stability during a time that has felt so uncertain.
Today, on Father’s Day, Leo and I spent some time at the beach. Sam loved the water, and seeing Leo absolutely gun it towards the shore reminded me just how much of his dad I see in him. It feels both incredibly hard and undeniably special to see how so much of Sam's love, light, and laughter lives on in Leo.
While this page may be closing, I hope you know that the love, kindness and support you have shown us will remain in my heart forever. You have helped carry us through the unimaginable, and I will never be able to thank you enough.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for standing beside us, for honouring Sam, and for surrounding our whānau with so much aroha.
Arohanui,
Danni and Leo
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