Support for Theo and Luke following the loss of their mother

Please help support Luke and Theo who recently lost their mother (Laura) to cancer:

Laura was an amazing woman who had been through so much over the last few years. She had three children during her lifetime. Luke (pictured at back), her first born, was in 2011 blessed with a little sister, Amber. Initially a healthy baby, Amber was in fact born with a rare neurodegenerative condition. She passed away at age 2 and half, a loss no family should have to endure. Although still grieving the loss of Amber, Laura was over the moon when in 2016 she discovered she was pregnant again! However, her happiness was to be overshadowed by the diagnosis of tongue cancer 10 weeks into her pregnancy. In August 2016 Laura underwent surgery to remove most of her tongue. This was followed by 30 sessions of radiotherapy, which ended just one month prior to the birth of Theo (pictured front) on January 22nd 2017, a healthy and bonny baby!

Laura lived on a modest income. What little savings she had was used to fund her immunotherapy, which although expensive, provided a small chance of beating the cancer. Laura’s wish was to be there for her family and to watch her children grow up. Laura completed two rounds of therapy and was due to have another two. Sadly, she did not get to receive her third treatment. The cancer had continued to grow, causing one of her lungs to suddenly collapse and the other to fill with fluid. She passed away on May 26th at Whangarei hospital.

Laura leaves behind two children, Luke aged 14 and Theo aged 6 months. She also leaves behind her much loved partner and soul mate Bryce, father to Theo. In addition to caring for Theo and two children of his own, Bryce will continue to care for Luke, providing him with as much love and stability as possible. Their house has only three bedrooms and so not a lot of space to accommodate three teenagers and a baby. Laura and Bryce had intended to extend the house to make room for their family, but with the costs of her treatment this was put on hold. There are also the costs of day care for Theo, enabling Bryce to return to work, not to mention the costs of educating and providing for the children’s futures.

A trust has been established to support Theo and Luke. Your support is very much appreciated.