Supporting our Mum Iva through cancer

Great news about our Mum

13 August 2023

Kia ora everyone,

We are writing with fantastic news! Last week we finally received confirmation that our Mum Iva's medical visa has been approved. We are so beyond relieved and excited to know that Mum will be with us soon and receiving the treatment and care she needs. This is all thanks to your incredible support, encouragement and generosity. Thank you for the calls, messages, kai, and love throughout these weeks as we navigated this very complex visa process.

After receiving the news of the visa we got Mum a ticket straight away and she'll be flying to Aotearoa on Wednesday. She will then fly from Auckland to Wellington on Thursday and we will take her directly to Bowen Hospital to meet with the oncologist. We will keep you all updated about her treatment plans and how she is doing. Mum's youngest son Peter Teu is traveling with her to ensure she gets here safely, and he'll be with us for a week or so.

Thanks to our wonderful whānau and friends we have raised just over $7000 towards Mum's treatment through the Give A Little page and direct donations. We still have a long way to go and are organising a fundraising extravaganza in late October. We'll be in touch with dates and details in the next few weeks. In the meantime, please do share the Give A Little page if you feel comfortable with this.

Thank you again for all your support and love. Mum is really looking forward to seeing you all.

Much aroha,

Lorena and James

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Update on Mum Iva

25 June 2023

Kia ora e te whānau,

We are so excited to share that Mum has been accepted as a patient at Bowen Cancer Centre in Wellington. Sorry for our silence over the past few weeks as we navigate the process of getting a NZ medical visa for Mum. We are grateful to all of you for your support as your contributions have allowed Mum to access her first appointments at the hospital.

The cancer specialist at Bowen has provided us with a new estimate of treatment costs for Mum. We are over the moon that these initial costs are lower than we originally thought: approximately $70,000 for the first stages of treatment including all the costs of getting Mum to Aotearoa.

Thank you so much whānau, we feel your love and strength holding us from within.

Please do share this fundraising page with anyone you think may be able to help. If you have any fun and exciting fundraising ideas, please let us know too!

We will be putting out details of a few upcoming fundraising events this week. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093116348763

We can't wait to have Mum with us in Aotearoa. She is in Port Moresby with whānau while we confirm the last stages of her medical visa. She is feeling strong and ready to begin treatment in Aotearoa - and wants to see the snow for the first time!