Target reached for Selah's critical surgery in Germany.
This fundraising is to support Selah to get critical surgery in Germany. It will help her eat and live life to the full again.
Hamilton, Waikato
We have reached the goal!
Our daughter Selah needs specialised surgery that cannot be done in NZ. She's in pain, cannot eat, and without the surgery, things will get worse. We need help to fund expenses related to this critical surgery.
Selah is a delightful and strong 17year old who loves books, reading, writing, achieving highly at school, Taylor Swift, Coraline, dairy free chocolate self-saucing pudding, going to the gym, cleaning, dogs, and babies.
In late July 2023, Selah started to have abdominal pain, nausea and dizziness. She's been found to have multiple abdominal vascular compressions caused by Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a rare genetic connective tissue disorder. It has turned our lives upside-down.
Selah’s symptoms continue to get worse over time: pain, inability to eat, dizziness, difficulty sleeping and instability. She currently has NJ tube feeding to sustain her and has not attended school or been able to participate in ‘normal life’ since the very beginning of August.
Other NZers have spoken publicly about their own successful surgeries in Germany that changed their prognosis and life. It has also been recommended by NZ specialists.
German specialists are willing to treat Selah with surgery to relieve the compressions and help her return to normal life.
Both myself (Mum, Melva) and Dad (Frank) want to travel with Selah and support her and each other through this tough journey.
Thank you for your generous support as we navigate this harrowing experience.
Use of funds
70K will allow for 3 of us to travel as a family, provide for incidental costs, & support towards lost income while away. If a funding application we are trying for is unsuccessful the target will increase to 190k to cover the full cost incl the surgery.
Latest update
Final update 8 April 2024
This week marks the anniversary of 3 months since Selah’s surgery in Dusseldorf, Germany.
This will be our final post.
3 months is a marker that some deeper internal physical healing will have been done and she’s allowed to start practicing driving again, and lifting the washing basket of wet clothes to hang (yay!).
Generally, things are going well. Selah is eating easily without pain, and gaining weight slowly. She’s been able to have little breaks away from home (pictured here with Melva at Lake Taupo for a family get together).
There’s a bit to still deal with post-surgery (physically, mentally, emotionally), and any new pain or sensation can be disconcerting and worrying. We’re all getting counselling and readjusting to a new normal.
In July Selah will start a Massey University preparation course ahead of starting a BA next year in creative writing. It’s all online so she’ll stay at home and it’s an easy way for us to continue helping her on her recovery journey.
We are unsure of the future (aren’t we all!?) but we have hope for restoration and many better days.
Thank you again for your support to get Selah to Germany for surgery.
We will always be grateful for the incredible generosity of so many to get us there and for the additional generosity towards her post-surgery care. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ngaa mihi nui ki a koutou katoa,
Melva, Frank and Selah Ritchie.
Latest donations
Alaina and Boggy, thank you so much for your generosity. It means a lot. We couldn't have done what we did without the support of such an amazing community. - Frank
Thank you so much for your kind word and generosity. We couldn't have done what we've done without the amazing community that has been very generous to us. - Frank
Thank you for your very kind donation. - Frank
Thank you Stacey. Every donation now helps with the costs associated with recovery. It's appreciated. - Frank
Thank you for this very generous gift. It means a lot to us to know we've had such an immense community of support. -Frank
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