Helping my best friend get through the hardest time of her life
Whangarei, Northland
Our beautiful friend Cass has just been hit with a life-changing diagnosis: oropharyngeal cancer. In a matter of days, she will begin gruelling radiation and chemotherapy treatment that will keep her away from home for more than seven weeks and leave months of recovery ahead.
This is the kind of news that shakes a family to its core.
But Cass is meeting it with astonishing strength, and Dave is doing everything humanly possible to hold their world together for Cass and their precious daughter Isabella.
But bravery doesn’t pay bills
Love doesn’t cover travel, living costs, or months of lost income.
And right now, the financial strain is becoming frighteningly real.
While Cass’s medical treatment is funded, everything else is not the mortgage, the bills, the travel, the basic cost of simply getting through each day. Dave is trying to work, care for Cass, and support Isabella… but no family can bear this kind of pressure alone.
We’ve created this Givealittle page because Cass and her family need immediate, tangible support. Your donation, no matter the size, will directly ease the weight on their shoulders. Your share could reach the person who makes the difference. Your message could be the spark that keeps them going on the darkest days.
Let’s surround Cass, Dave, and Isabella with strength, hope, and generosity.
Let’s lift them up so they can focus on what truly matters Cass’s fight and their family’s future.
Let’s make sure they feel us standing right beside them. 💛
With love,
Hayley
My best friend.
Funds raised will go towards living costs, while Cass is unable to work due to treatments, travel costs to and from treatment centers,(Cass is having treatment in Auckland which is far away from Home in Whangarei) while Cass navigates through this new journey Every contribution will help xx
Update from cass 25 November 2025
An emotional update on my treatment…
The first week of treatment shook me more than I ever expected. I knew chemo would be hard, but I never imagined it would land me in hospital by Friday. The treatment hit me like a truck, the nausea, the dehydration, the dizziness, the exhaustion… it all piled up so quickly that for a moment I genuinely wondered if my body could keep going.
I spent three nights in hospital while they worked to stabilise me. My veins are bruised and battered from all the attempts to get lines in — they even had to call in an anaesthetist after midnight on Sunday to place one with ultrasound because everything else had collapsed. Then came a 3am CT scan. It all felt surreal and honestly really scary.
But yesterday I was finally discharged. I’m still nauseous and worn out, but I’m back at Domain Lodge and trying to breathe again. Just being out of the hospital feels like a small victory.
I can’t even put into words how grateful I am for the staff who cared for me with so much compassion. And to Tash, thank you for stepping in whenever David can't be here. Your support means more than I can ever say. I feel so deeply blessed to have people holding me up when I’m struggling to stand ❤️
Thank u sooo much for your donation ❤️ it is much appreciated 🙏
Thanks so very much 😊 It's much appreciated
Sandra, thank you very very much for your donation ❤️ 😍 it's very much appreciated All this support at this time means so much for Cass and Dave x
Tha k so very much for your support it is much appreciated 🙏
Thanks very much, your donation is very much appreciated and your amazing 👏 ❤️ . Cass and Dave really appreciate it . 🤗
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