Sam and Danni need your help. #TribeArts&Smith
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
Lucy Hendry-Jefferies' involvement (page creator)
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.
Use of funds
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
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Latest update
The update I never thought I’d have to share… 19 May 2026
It’s been a while since I last posted, and I truly wished I had better news to share. After 6 rounds of chemotherapy, we received the news we had been desperately dreading. Unfortunately, Sam’s cancer has not responded to treatment as we had hoped and has become resistant to chemo. Despite intensive treatment, the cancer is aggressive, widespread, and continuing to grow.
We have now been told that Sam’s prognosis is no longer focused on a cure. Due to the nature of his cancer, we have exhausted the treatment options available to us and are now facing the heartbreaking reality of a terminal diagnosis, with a life expectancy of only months.
This devastating news has been incredibly difficult to process, especially while Sam was hospitalised with Covid, followed the next week by Leo (11 months old) with bronchiolitis. Thankfully, both boys are now home and recovering well.
Right now, we’re holding onto the small moments together while preparing for the incredibly difficult road ahead. Our weeks have become a delicate balance of rest, playground trips, café dates, and soaking in every precious moment together as a family.
Your donations will help ease the pressure of living costs, give us the opportunity to create special memories together, and help us prepare for funeral expenses when the time comes.
While we may not be able to reply to every message, please know that every kind word, donation, and share means so much to our family during this time. Thank you again ❤️
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