IN SID E: - Child Cancer Foundation
Transcription
IN SID E: - Child Cancer Foundation
sharing NOVEMBER 2011 Meet Pete INSIDE: PHOE N IX INSIDE: Memorials Remembering our Loved Ones F R A N N IE SUPER SURVIVOR! OUR W O R LD FI R ST T’S A GRANDPAREN PERSPECTIVE Emma Joyce Dequarn WE’RE looking for two new stars for our 2012 Child Cancer Appeal Month To create awareness and raise funds to help families affected by child cancer we would like two special children and their families to be included in promotional imagery and media activity for Child Cancer Appeal Month. This will involve different types of media activity and advertising (which will be fully explained to interested families) and may require some travel. For the two special stars for 2012, we are looking for a boy and girl between 4 – 12 years who love the camera. Although only two children will be selected for print promotional material and select media activity, we also need children to take part in other media opportunities, share their stories and include their photos on our website etc, so we are keen to hear from everyone who is interested. If you know your child would like to take part in the promotion and publicity of Child Cancer Appeal Month or would welcome the idea of being one of our 2012 stars, please supply us with the following: • Child’s Full Name • Date of Birth • Gender • Your Contact Details (name, phone, address) • Child’s Interests and Hobbies • Please tell us a little bit about your child’s cancer journey • How did the Child Cancer Foundation help your family? • How many Beads of Courage does your child have? • Please supply two or more recent photos of your child Please email the above details to Jade Taylor [email protected] by 28 November Contents CEO Corner 3 Memorials - We Remember Our Loved Ones 10 A Grandparent’s Journey 4 A Dad’s Perspective 13 Fran’s Story of Osteosarcoma 6 Our Events 14 Volunteer Profile 15 Regional News 16 Health Professionals Update - Research Trials 7 Pete and His Friends 9 COVER - Main photo: The gorgeous Pete Pirie Bottom photos from left: 1. Frannie Taylor 2. Beads of Courage Ball 3. Phoenix Clarkson CEO Corner Welcome to the November Sharing Magazine. Once again we have done our best to bring you different perspectives from people on the child cancer journey. This month we hear from a Dunedin grandparent about her distinctly different experience and a Taranaki Dad tells his story. We continue to write about some of the rarer forms of cancer - in this issue we talked to a brave Bay of Plenty girl who had osteosarcoma. Every year we mark Memorial Day in November, this year it will be held on Sunday, November 13th. Our branch events are an opportunity for families to be together and remember their own much loved children as well as other families’ children who have lost their battle with cancer. We also bring you photos from two hugely successful events held recently, the Beads of Courage Ball held in the Departure Lounge of Christchurch International Airport and the Champions Luncheon in Wellington. We are also holding the Child Cancer Foundation Annual General Meeting on Saturday, November 19th at the Copthorne Hotel, Quay Street, Auckland. It is in this edition every year that we also remember children who are no longer with us. Our thoughts are with their loved ones and I thank everyone who shared their special thoughts and photographs for our Memorial section. Finally, I hope many of you enjoyed the opportunity to hear from the Professors John Spinetta and Pat Deasy-Spinetta who spoke on our International Guests Speakers Tour throughout New Zealand recently. John and Pat were in New Zealand for SIOP (International Society of Paediatric Oncology). We have thoroughly enjoyed organising the speaker tour to enable families to have the opportunity to hear from two such experienced and highly regarded paediatric oncology experts. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year and happy holidays. Sarah Thomson CEO - Child Cancer Foundation Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 3 ABOVE: Lynne, her partner Des and grandchildren Amelia and Phoenix, recently. The part grandparents play during a child cancer journey isn’t often acknowledged, and yet grandparents juggle difficult and complex roles. Dunedin’s Lynne Robins kindly agreed to share her story. My partner Des and I had a very special bond with our first born grandchild and spent a lot of time with him. Our gorgeous grandson Phoenix was diagnosed with Leukaemia (ALL) in June 2007, he had just had his second birthday and had welcomed his little sister into the world. Phoenix underwent treatment for the next three and a half years. I shared Phoenix’s journey with friends and family through an email diary which still brings back all those feelings of being so scared, even now. Phoenix had a rash, he wasn’t eating and his gums would bleed when he cleaned his teeth. He was very lethargic and was a really sick wee man. He would get up early in the morning and wait on the sofa for Kim (his Mum) to get up. ABOVE: Phoenix during treatment 4 Sharing • Child Cancer Foundation The Doctor didn’t know what was wrong with Phoenix and after a few visits, suggested he be taken to hospital. I will never forget the call I received from Troy (his Dad) asking me to pick up Kim and go to the hospital. Nothing could have prepared us for the news we were told. Phoenix’s platelet level should have been over 250, it was 8. The Doctors didn’t know how he was walking. I spent the first night in ICU in Dunedin Hospital with Phoenix to allow his parents to go home and prepare for the journey to Christchurch the following day, I tried to be brave and comfort him. Every so often he would wake up and say to me “Nona take me home Nona’s house, take me Nona’s car.” He would reach up and I would gently lift him out of bed and cuddle him carefully (as it hurt, he had no cushioning on his bones). He would wrap his wee arms around my neck and cling on to me. I held him as long as I could before I was told to put him back in bed. Little did I know I wouldn’t get to cuddle him for some time as his poor wee body was too sore and wouldn’t be able to take it. I honestly can’t describe how scared I was. I tried to be brave for Kim and Troy but I felt hollow inside, how could this happen to Phoenix, our darling wee man. We saw our role as providing as much help and support as we possibly could for the whole family. I would liaise with Troy’s work and try and provide as many breaks as I could by travelling to Christchurch every opportunity I had and staying with Phoenix in the hospital. We watched the movie Cars about a thousand times, Des and I sometimes shared the single pull out sofa which was fun and when Phoenix was on steroids, we would be up getting biscuits etc all night long. Phoenix hadn’t laughed. I remember the day he first laughed again. It was infectious; it was a sound we hadn’t heard for a long time. We all shared in the laughter and did stupid things just to keep that sound going. One of the hardest things I found was leaving Phoenix and returning back to Dunedin. He loved stars and the moon so I would tell him that when the stars came out, they were Nona’s kisses being sent. He would say yep. When he finally arrived home I remember the first time we took him for treatment and holding him while they accessed porty. He screamed and cried, it just broke our hearts. We watched Phoenix’s journey through the three and a half years, we experienced the terror whenever he got sick and how scared we felt and we watched him get so skinny and being fed by a tube, then bloating up with steroids. Being a grandparent is like having another child of your own but harder as you can’t make decisions. You can only give them the absolute love they need and worry and help their parents as much as you can while feeling helpless because you can’t take away their pain. We are an incredibly close family and I had wonderful support from friends and family and especially Des and my daughter Emma. Emma adored her nephew and provided invaluable support for her brother and sister in law staying in hospital, travelling to Christchurch for the overnight trips and helping with Phoenix’s sister Amelia, providing invaluable support. LEFT: A happy Phoenix three months before diagnosis. Phoenix has been out of treatment for nearly a year and is doing so well. Since the chemo stopped, he has grown so much. My heart broke when he saw all the things Amelia did at kindy and said to Kim “Mum I didn’t go to kindy did I?” She replied “No, you were very sick Phoenix” and he said “I just want to have fun.” He loves school now and enjoys reading and just being a boy. It’s been exciting watching him eating again, regaining taste buds and trying things he used to love. He is an absolute joy and we are so grateful to have our little boy well again. LEFT: Phoenix at Ronald McDonald House in Christchurch. Des and I are now the Chair and Secretary of the Dunedin Branch of CCF. We chose to be on the committee to pay back. We saw all the help they gave the family, the support they needed. The stress of having a child with cancer has the ability to tear a family apart, our CCF Family Support Coordinator Christine Donovan provided so much help and support and we were so grateful that we wanted to be part of helping other families. A grandparent’s journey is hard. We were fortunate that Troy and Kim involved us and kept us informed as to what was going on. We gained knowledge of treatments and words we had never heard of before. Please if you are a grandparent, know that you are not alone and your pain is very real. Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 5 Osteosarcoma: Frannie’s Story ABOVE: Frannie during treatment. Osteosarcoma occurs most often in children and young adults between 10 and 20 years of age. It frequently starts in the ends of the long bones such as the bones of the arms and legs. In Frannie’s case it was in her left tibia and chemotherapy started within days of diagnosis in February, 2010. Frannie was 10 years old. The tumour was removed two months later along with 12cm of her tibia, replaced with an allograft (donor bone from a cadaver) strengthened by metal plates and pins. Frannie’s leg was in plaster for eight weeks, and unfortunately when the plaster came off on June 24, 2010, there was a major infection in the wound and she was lucky that surgery was able to repair this or she could have lost her leg. A month long stay in Starship followed with antibiotic treatment and chemotherapy, and when Fran was allowed home to Omokoroa, she had to keep a “bubble” attached to her Hickman Line giving IV antibiotics for over two months. From February 1 to October 11, Fran spent 143 nights in hospital. She spent nearly a year in a wheelchair and could not do basic things most young people take for granted, like dressing themselves, going to the toilet by themselves, getting in and out of cars…. and of course all the time in Auckland put a lot of pressure on Dad Mat, and siblings Jamie (15) and Callie (5). The above represents just a snapshot of Frannie’s journey, but she and her family are now happy to be off treatment and doing well, although their trips to Auckland haven’t stopped. ABOVE: Frannie at Starship for a drug trial visit. That’s because the family are one of many families around New Zealand involved in a clinical drug trial. It wasn’t easy for Frannie’s mother Kim to ask her daughter to be involved in a trial which will require her to have weekly injections at Starship until next March, but for her it was a “no brainer”. 6 Sharing • Child Cancer Foundation “We researched the drug (Interferon) and it is an “anti cancer drug, a form of chemotherapy which may help Fran not to get this cancer again,” Kim says. “When your child is diagnosed with any life threatening illness, I think you will do anything to protect them. Unfortunately with cancer there is not much protection you can give when you are holding their hand as they are lying in bed being very ill. So this is our way of offering some protection, of doing something for her for the future. “Francesca has some side effects from the drugs, particularly nausea and doesn’t like missing school every Friday, or having four weekly blood tests, but for her future, we have to make her have this,” she says. Frannie is particularly susceptible to nausea. During treatment she went through 24 nasogastric tubes which kept coming up, but is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “Kids at school think it’s cool to get on a plane to Auckland every week, but really it’s not!” she says. Frannie still enjoys seeing Tauranga Family Support Coordinator Debbie Hockly. Her little sister Callie calls her “aunty”, and the involvement in events and tickets to shows etc have been a great help to Kim. Frannie is also enjoying drama lessons through a CCF Scholarship. At this stage Frannie is still only able to walk short distances, but she is looking forward to gaining strength in her leg and to finally ditching those plane trips to Auckland, by March next year…. * HEALTH P RO F ESSIO N ALS UPDAT E * H E ALTH PRO FE SSIO NALS UPDATE * HE ALTH PRO FE SSIO NALS UPDATE * Health Professional’s Update CLINICAL TRIALS In this issue our Health Professional’s Report focuses on helping to build your knowledge about clinical trials, which many New Zealand children with cancer take part in each year. Sarah Hunt (RN PhD), has helpfully adapted a COG (Children’s Oncology Group) article for New Zealand’s situation. What is a Clinical Trial? Clinical trials are used to determine the most effective and safest treatment for a disease. Each trial is aimed at improving survival rates or reducing side effects or late effects of treatment. People often hear about clinical trials and think that a patient in a trial may or may not receive medicine. Those who do not receive medicine in a trial are said to be receiving placebos. In nearly every COG clinical trial, patients receive medication. This means patients are not receiving placebos. It is also important to understand that clinical trials are standard practice in cancer treatment for children, adolescents and young adults. While less than five percent of adults with cancer are enrolled in clinical trials, 60 percent of patients under age 29 diagnosed with cancer are enrolled in trials. Participation in clinical trials spans an average of two to three years and requires a lifetime of follow-up care. Development and Review of COG Clinical Trials Many people and organisations are involved in developing a clinical trial. The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) is the largest paediatric clinical trials group in the world, with more than 210 participating hospitals. For each new clinical trial, a group of doctors, nurses and other experts propose how the treatment should be given. Many experts within COG review the trial before it is sent to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for approval. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of each hospital participating in a clinical trial must also approve the trial, in part to make sure that the rights of patients who will be enrolled in the trials are protected. It is helpful to understand that each trial is reviewed many times by different experts in and outside of COG before being started at a treatment centre. Types of Clinical Trials There are two types of clinical research trials, therapeutic and non-therapeutic. • Therapeutic trials are ones which enrol patients and provide a specific treatment to the patients to study its impact on cancer. • Non-therapeutic trials are ones which do not provide a treatment to patients, but instead study important factors which help advance the understanding of cancer and its impact. For example, some non-therapeutic studies collect tissue specimens to examine the cellular structure of a cancer tumour. Other studies track epidemiological information such as the long-term health effects of chemotherapy. Non-therapeutic studies often lead to therapeutic ones. Within therapeutic trials, there are three different phases used to evaluate new treatments. Each phase has a different goal. • Phase I studies are the most basic of clinical trials. Here, drugs are tested to evaluate the dosages of the treatment and how often the treatment can be administered (maximum tolerated dosages, MTD). As it is unknown whether the treatment will be effective against a particular disease, people with a variety of diseases are enrolled. Drugs are given at gradually increasing dosages until there are unacceptable side effects (dose-limited toxicities, DLT). • Phase II studies use the results from Phase I studies regarding MTD and DLT. The treatment is targeted at the population of patients which responded most favourably in Phase I trials, because it is believed to hold promise for that particular group of patients. • Phase III studies are those that most children will receive when newly diagnosed. These studies will test the standard treatment (current best) against promising alternatives that may increase cure rates or decrease side effects or late effects of treatment. Your child may be in a Phase III clinical trial that compares two or more treatments (called study “arms”). Each treatment has been shown to be effective in other studies but not yet compared to each other or the current best treatment. Usually, one treatment arm is the “standard” or the best proven current treatment. The other (new) treatment has some changes or additions to determine if they cure the disease in more children, control disease longer, cause fewer or less serious side effects, or change the number of days spent in the hospital. continued next page... Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 7 * HEALTH P RO F ESSIO N ALS UPDAT E * H E ALTH PRO FE SSIO NALS UPDATE * HE ALTH PRO FE SSIO NALS UPDATE * Health Professional’s Update C L I N IC A L T R I A L S continued... If a clinical trial is not currently available at the time your child is diagnosed, your child will receive the best standard treatment. To learn if one treatment in a Phase III clinical trial is better, each child is assigned randomly to one of the treatments. Assigning children randomly is a process like flipping a coin that assures that each child has a fair and equal chance of being assigned to either/any of the treatments. In most studies, we do not know which treatment is better until all the children taking part in the clinical trial have completed treatment and have been observed for several years. However, if one of the treatments is already found to be better than the others while the trial is still going on, the trial is stopped, and all children are given the better treatment. If for any reason the treatment plan is found to be not the best for your child, the plan will be changed. Individual Drug Studies Individual drug studies can be conducted at a large or small number of hospitals, depending on the purpose of the trial. In individual drug studies, a drug manufacturer closely monitors lab tests and results from the use of the drug, and releases only a small amount of the drug during the period of the study. These studies are usually performed at centres that are well equipped to gather the needed data and to provide a quick transfer of lab specimens. 8 Sharing • Child Cancer Foundation Supportive Care Studies Supportive care studies evaluate ways of helping with the side effects of treatments. These can also be performed at a few medical centres at a time or at many hospitals at once. Most often though, these research questions can be answered with fewer patients. Once the results are shared, patient outcomes may be improved sooner than through a large national study. Limited Institution Trials Sometimes, clinical trials are performed in only a few hospitals. These are called Limited Institution Trials and they are able to answer a research question with fewer patients than most national trials require. Answers to important research questions can be obtained in a shorter time through such limited trials. COG limited institution trials are reviewed and approved in the same manner as all other clinical trials. Pilot Studies Pilot studies are examples of Limited Institution Trials. In these studies, investigators are studying a new treatment or therapy combination. Such studies are done at only a few institutions with a limited number of patients to see if the treatments are safe and effective against the targeted disease. If it is found to be effective, the new therapy may be open to more institutions. The results of pilot studies are compared to the best current treatments to find out if the new treatments are better in some way. Pilot studies also help to decide whether the drugs or therapies being tested should be investigated further using more patients. COG and its role in Clinical Trials Everything known about how to cure children with cancer has been learned from research. The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) has been a large part of developing this knowledge. In fact, by treating children in clinical trials, COG members have increased the cancer cure rate for children from less than 10 percent 40 years ago to nearly 80 percent today. All COG members must maintain the highest standards for treating patients with cancer. They follow COG-defined protocols to prove their scientific, medical and ethical scientific expertise. To help develop new ways to treat cancer, COG members submit diagnostic, treatment and follow-up data to a central place in order to combine the data from many patients and obtain results rapidly. Each year, more than 60 percent of children with cancer are treated on research protocols. These clinical trials compare the best available treatment to one or more experimental treatments, which are carefully developed with the goal of finding the best possible treatments for each type of cancer. When a child is treated on a COG protocol, all the information about the patient’s diagnosis, treatment and results is collected and analysed and findings are published for review by all members of the Children’s Oncology Group. The group then builds on this knowledge to determine the next steps for research. Adapted by: Sarah Hunter RN PhD Lead Clinical Research Associate Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Starship Children’s Health Source: COG Pete and His Animals ABOVE: Pete checks out his dog Enzo. BELOW: Pete with his friend Willis. Pete Pirie loves animals. He wants to pat every dog he sees while walking his own dog Enzo and check out every living creature he passes - cat, bird, hedgehog… He is also best friends with a pig called Willis! Pete signs “pig” to Mum Bridget about 10 times a day to tell her he wants to see Willis. It’s not surprising that one day he would like to be a vet. Willis belongs to Pete’s caregiver Maureen Smith. The Captain Cooker is so friendly he tries to jump in Pete’s car to ride home with him and responds to a few simple commands. Pete’s dog Enzo is a very patient American bulldog/greyhound cross and happily puts up with Pete being “quite bossy.” He has Pete in hysterics tearing around the sub-division next door and is happy to be examined and prodded. Pete has also been the focal point of a lot of medical attention himself. The Ranui eight-year-old was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in April 2007, when he was three. “We want him to enjoy every chance he has, so Pete goes to school at Waitakere Primary because he loves it,” says Bridget. “He is such a cool, funny kid, he is always doing naughty things to make people laugh. He even likes going to Starship Hospital, because he knows he is going to get my undivided attention and the nurses are so lovely to him.” The hardest part of treatment for Bridget, has been that Pete has not been able to communicate his pain. “If there is anything we could change it would be that – it is a million times worse when we can’t find out exactly where he is hurting, or if he is hurting at all and not just unhappy.” Pete’s cognitive ability has also been affected by chemotherapy. He has never spoken well, but was good at writing but since relapse he has lost some of his writing ability. Bridget and her family have connected with several other families who have children with Down syndrome who are also going through the cancer journey. “I always try and help out any other families, in particular those in the same situation,” Bridget says. There is an increased incidence of ALL in children with Down syndrome. Pete is one cool little guy. He may be up against many more challenges than most eight-year-olds, but he certainly takes it all in his stride, with his cheeky grin and mischievous nature. He’s an inspiration! Treatment was difficult with a lot of infections and side effects as children with Down syndrome are more sensitive to chemotherapy. “There was huge relief when treatment was finished in August, 2010, it was one of the happiest days of our lives,” says Bridget. “But unfortunately Pete relapsed five months off treatment in February this year. It was our worst fear.” Pete was given a poor prognosis and wasn’t expected to live more than a few weeks, but after further intensive treatment he is now on maintenance again and his family will never give up hope that he will beat the cancer. Pete is adored by Dad Colin and big brother Griffin (11). Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 9 Memorials Aaron Ricky Bayard 29/11/1992 – 28/2/2011 Alexander Torsten Kilpin 15/11/1991 – 22/10/ 2010 Alexia Violet Haenga 02/10/1993 – 09/10/2010 Mountain of strength, sums up your name A warrior’s battle, not fought in vain Your loving heart, caring and true Always thinking of others, and not about you. Your cheeky smile, and great sense of humour Brought a sunny day, to a darkened room However bad, things would be You never looked for sympathy You kept your faith, and did not waiver Your eyes were fixed, upon your saviour Though we miss you, every day More than mortal, words can say No more suffering, and no more pain Some day we will be with you again Love Mum, Dad and Tony “I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself and be sad. I appreciate life. Think about what you would change. Do it now. Life is too short. Experience it all” (from Alex’s blog Cancer Journey) We mark your first anniversary soon bub, yet it still seems like yesterday. You were given only days after diagnosis, but you blessed us with an amazing 3 weeks. The strength and courage you held still astounds us all. We hold on to the teachings you unconsciously left behind. To live everyday as if it were your last, and love as though you have never been hurt before. Your laugh continues to fill our home. Your smile remains infectious. Your love is forever beyond measure. Alyssa Fae Hardy 02/04/1989 – 08/02/2007 THE TIDE RECEDES BUT LEAVES BEHIND BRIGHT SEA SHELLS ON THE SAND, THE SUN GOES DOWN, BUT GENTLE WARMTH STILL LINGERS ON THE LAND, THE MUSIC STOPS, AND YET IT ECHOES ON IN SWEET REFRAINS… FOR EVERY JOY THAT PASSES SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL REMAINS. WE LOVE AND MISS YOU SO MUCH ALYSSA LOVE MUM, DAD AND FENELLA 10 Sharing • Child Cancer Foundation Caitlin Niamh Torr Peoples 08/12/2005 – 09/02/2008 Our dearest Caitlin was born with Congenital giant melanocytic nevus and neurocuteanous melanosis. A giant mole all over her body and hundreds of satellite moles with an added complication of moles inside her brain requiring a shunt to relieve the pressure on her brain. Once her body had adjusted to her shunt, she became a normal happy toddler, who was always crawling around with a mischief smile on her face. She loved being outside and playing with her sisters and brother. At 18 months, Caitlin developed melanoma in her back muscle, and although this was all removed, 6 months later it travelled to her brain. We remember the great times we had with her on our holiday trips to the beach, to the farm, destinations in the North and South Island, her general love for life and her tremendous sense of humour. We miss her immensely and not a day goes by without us thinking of her. Tracey, Marty, Kimberley, Natalie and Matthew Peoples We salute you our brave butterfly... Happy, happy birthday Bubba xox Love from your whanau. Breeze Jermaine Moeahu - Tairua (BJ, Bully Basher, Little One, Mok*One) 09/02/1994 - 04/10/2008 You are not alone For we are here with you Though you are far away we are here to stay You are not alone For we are here with you Though we’re far apart You’re always in our hearts For you are not alone. (Breeze chose this song for his tangi) Loving son, brother, uncle, whanau member of many & friend Aroha tino nui. Remembering those we love who continue to live on in our hearts... Degen Myles Anthony Meyer 27/05/2009 – 29/11/2009 Isaiah Tipene Hape 08/06/1996 – 20/12/2010 So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. A missed & loved Son and Brother who will always be in our hearts forever. Safe in Jehovahs memory awaiting the Ressurection hope Acts 24.15 -Veronica Shoffstall Johnsal Ioane Semi MY LITTLE SUNSHINE SUNRISE: 03/05/2009 SUNSET:19/08/2010 You are my sunshine my only sunshine You make me happy when skys are great You never know dear how much I love you Please don’t take my sunshine away You were like a sunshining in our hearts when you were born. But sadly this sunshine of ours has gone but it still shines in our hearts and in our minds. Kristin Monique Osborne 18/05/1998 – 17/07/2006 Forever in our hearts and in our minds. You touched the hearts of everyone you met. We miss you, we love you. We now have a new normal which has a huge hole in it. Love Mum, Dad and Alecia Jessica Anne Elizabeth Ricketts 04/12/1994 – 17/12/2010 MY ANGEL I wake in the morning I look up to the sky I wonder why he took you Before I was ready to say goodbye We love you baby Johnsal and we missed you so much. Lots of love, hugs and kisses for our little angel from your grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins and especially from your brothers and sisters and heaps from your parents John and Sally. You are in a better place. In the hands of GOD. I look up to the stars at night And know you’re looking down I’d like to think you’re proud of me But I’m just stumbling around I crawl into bed at night and close my eyes And realise that you’re gone Then come the fears and tears And life just seems so wrong I glance up to the heavens And know you’re flying by My Angels watching over me I say as I cry In our arms for a moment, in our hearts forever. Jed Roberts 18/09/1993 – 10/04/2011 Jed loved son and buddy of Debbie and Dean, best friend and big brother of Lia passed away at Starship Auckland after a 19 month battle with ALL (Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) Ex Mount Maunganui College student was described as a quiet, gentle, dignified young man whose humour would always be remembered. “Shine on you Crazy Diamond” Lucas Wilson 28/06/2006 – 03/07/2008 It doesn’t seem possible that it’s over three years since we lost you. A much loved son, little brother, family member and friend. A little boy that bought so much light and joy to us and everyone you met. Jami Raukura Orchard 17/07/1991 – 22/04/2011 ‘Whakatopa i nga hau o te rangi e hine’. Soar high & free in the sky our girl. Missing ur smile xoxo You were our little lion heart, your strength of spirit amazing. Our lives will never be the same, because of you. We love you Lucas. Daddy, Mummy Gabby and Bryony. Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 11 Memorials - Remembering those we love continued... Tyrone Cherokee Takarehe Rollo 03/05/1995 – 27/09/2010 From the time you were born you filled our lives with joy. You made us laugh and cry but most of all you made us happy. You inspired us with your courage. The memories we have of you shall be cherished. When we picture you it will be with tenderness and a smile. Your passing leaves us with an emptiness that can never be filled. Not a moment passes when we don’t think of you. There are never enough words that can describe how much we miss you. You shall remain forever in our hearts and mind. Our eternal love Mum, Desiree, Alicia, Peata and Esmay Quiin Thomas Nevada Joesph McKay 14/05/2007 – 28/09/2010 To My Darling Quiin A FLOWER MAY DIE,THE SUN MAY SET, BUT A SPECIAL BOY AND SON LIKE YOU I WILL NEVER FORGET. YOUR NAME IS PRECIOUS, IT WILL NEVER GROW OLD IT’S ENGRAVED IN MY HEART IN LETTERS OF GOLD... I LOVE U QUIIN THOMAS NEVADA JOESPH MCKAY FOREVER AND ALWAYS Our Quiiny was only 3 and the most beautiful person I had ever known He showed us all what amazing strength truly meant Even tho in his eyes we knew he was hurting he never ever complained not once, for that is truly what brave means He held our hands and told us he was ok just so we felt better, for that he was a true gentlemen And oh he was so handsome he had a smile that would light up the darkest of rooms Natasha Grace Redmond 03/01/1996 – 29/05/2011 Our darling Tash, It feels like our circle of love has been broken. Without you with us, our life will be so empty. They say time heals.... we will wait and see. You are our angel, our precious baby girl. Our treasured gift; but you were only on loan. Words cannot explain our love for you. We miss you so much our hearts ache. We have been surely blessed to have had you in our life. Sleep easy now our baby girl, until we see you again, We will love you forever. Our loss is heaven’s gain. So brave, so courageous, so strong, so beloved are you Tash. Love Mum, Dad, Shane and Craig. xoxoxoxo 12 Sharing • Child Cancer Foundation Serenity Jayde Taylor Wallace 18/06/2005 – 06/11/2010 Daughter of Abigail Wallace My Angel Darling it was time for you to fly My Angel Darling I never wanted to say goodbye I keep thinking why you, why my little Princess So Sweet and innocent and loving Living on is hard without you Each day there’s your absence Tho you are always in my heart I am thriving on your memory so we never are apart Love always - MUMMY Nani’s Babycake You turned 5 and were diagnosed We froze forever but kept composed We Wrapped you in love Serenity Princess Always doing the things you loved the best Four months later you were taken away I ♥ U Baby cakes You were your mummy’s first love, her best friend and her baby boy if i could give my last breath to bring you home to mummy i would, she tells your brothers everyday about you and they are always looking at your photos and smiling and that’s when we know that you are watching over them I hope your heaven is full of laughter and happiness and most of all I hope you are doing all the things you couldn’t do while you were here I hope you play from the time the sun shines till the sun goes to bed because you deserve to play my darling and don’t forget Oma will save her last dance for you oxoxox We love you our beautiful little man and we miss you more than words can say Love your Oma and all your whanau oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox Elle Maree Taare 03/10/1994 – 07/07/2007 Our beautiful Elle. We miss you so much it hurts. Your strength and your courage still inspires us every day. You were so very precious. Love Mummy and family. Zack’s Dad’s Story ABOVE: The McCormick family - Dad Glen, Zack, Hannah, Clare and Mum Mel. Fathers are less inclined to talk about the cancer journey than mothers who are more likely to get together and chat. Palmerston North Dad Glen very kindly agreed to share his experiences during his son Zack’s journey, for all the fathers out there! Our family’s journey began back in April 2008, two months before we ever heard the words “your son has a brain tumour.” Zack went from being your typical happy nine-month-old baby just starting to walk around holding furniture, laughing and playing with his two-yearold sister Clare, to needing to be held nearly 24 hours a day. Melanie and I were getting very worried about Zack’s worsening condition. Working all day and taking care of Zack at night to give Mel a break was starting to take its toll, emotionally we were both very tired. brain tumour.” I could not see that day having a happy ending. That first day was very intense, I met Zack and Mel at Starship at 10.30am. It was a big shock seeing our son on a stretcher full of tubes and lines with monitors beeping away, I felt very helpless. We met Zack’s neurosurgeon Mr Andrew Law at 11am and found out that Zack was going into surgery straight away. At 1pm I gave Zack a kiss as he was wheeled off to theatre, it seemed to take forever but at 7pm we got the call to say that Zack was back in PICU (Paediatric Intensive Care Unit). On the 6th of June while away on a business trip, I woke, looked at my phone and noticed I had 10 missed calls and a couple of voice messages. Mel had called to tell me Zack was in Palmerston North Hospital, that he was very sick and having seizures. When I called back my father-in-law Colin answered and told me what they had found. We soon found out that this day was just the start of the challenges that lay ahead for Zack. Over the next 12 weeks we faced many hurdles. Post-surgery Zack got a blood clot in his brain leaving him with little right sided movement and also peripheral vision loss and the hydrocephalus continued so he needed a shunt (brain drain) to remove excess CSF. Then we found out he needed six months of chemotherapy. I have always tried to keep a realistic “expect the worst, hope for the best” attitude but once you hear “your child has cancer” it tends to knock you around a bit. Zack was diagnosed with a Choroid Plexus Papilloma tumour in the left lateral ventricle in his brain. It had most likely been growing in his head since he was a baby and it had caused his Choroid Plexus to over produce cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) increasing the pressure in his head. Hydrocephalus, (water on the brain), had been making him sick. Zack required urgent surgical attention so he was transferred on the first “Life Flight” available to Starship that same morning. My two hour wait at Starship for Zack and Mel was horrible, I still remember it taking a couple of phone calls to my Dad to just say “Zack has a Zack’s hydrocephalus we still spend lots of time in hospital. Having to balance wanting to look after Zack when he is sick and working to keep an income coming in can be very stressful, I still find leaving Zack and Mel in Hospital tough. Throughout all the ups and downs Zack has taken everything in his stride and today he is a happy four year old laughing and playing with his sisters. We are very proud of them also, Clare is now five and Hannah three in December. When Zack gets sick they never complain when we ship them off too Nana and Poppa’s they just want to know if Zack will be all right and if he is coming home soon. We are very grateful to the support we have had from the Child Cancer Foundation and our regional Family Support Coordinator Robyn Booker. Robyn has supported us through some pretty tough times, she is amazing, and the biggest thanks has to be to our family and friends who supported us through our/Zack’s cancer journey. Mel was four months pregnant when we started Zack’s treatment, so I would travel to Starship with them for all of the chemotherapy rounds. When we ended up in Palmerston North hospital with neutropenia, Mel would do the day shift and I would go straight from work to do the night shift. Being involved in all of Zack’s treatment has made it easier to cope with all he has been through. Because of complications with Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 13 * LATEST EVE NTS * LAT E ST E V E N TS * LATE ST E VE NTS LATE ST * E VE NTS * LATEST Our Latest Events FAR RIGHT: Star of Courage LEFT: MC Jason Gunn as Frank Spencer Beads of Courage Ball 2011, Christchurch We were privileged this year to hold our annual Beads of Courage Ball at the Christchurch International Airport in August, a world first, thanks to our Board member Jim Boult who is Chief Executive of the Airport. With the last flight departing at 4.30pm and the guests arriving at 6pm, the challenges were immense. The event was originally booked to take place at the Hotel Grand Chancellor which is now being demolished after being severely damaged in the February 22nd earthquake. Canterbury Funding and Business Development Manager Clare Wilkinson was on the verge of cancelling the event but had such a strong response from supporters asking us to press ahead, that they needed something to look forward to, she decided to do whatever it took to make it happen. And what a job she did! RIGHT: Jet planes contributed to a unique setting MC Jason Gunn kept the fun alive all night for many Cantabrians who were pleased to be out celebrating in Christchurch again at last! The auction was a great success with the evening resulting in over $70,000 net profit. One of the most popular auction items was the Star of Courage artwork created by children with cancer to show their ideal dream world, which went for $2,300. Thanks to Sharon Ovenden from Longueville Gallery who put it all together and put the finishing touches on. Champions Luncheon, Wellington This year’s Champions Luncheon in Wellington was the most successful Champions Luncheon ever raising a record amount. The luncheon was also the culmination of rugby personality Josh Kronfeld’s Chopper for Child Cancer ride from Auckland to Wellington. The chopper was auctioned for $40,000. Bald in the Heat, Hawke’s Bay ABOVE: Josh Kronfeld at the lunch surrounded by local children. The clippers were running red hot at the official shave off for Bald in the Heat at the Duke of Gloucester in August. Thirty seven firefighters from around Hawke’s Bay turned out to shave their heads for Child Cancer. Six of the Firemen were also joined by their young sons who bravely had their locks shaved to support their dads. The night raised close to $23,000, with the Havelock North Volunteer Brigade raising the largest amount of just over $6,000 – half of which was raised by the ‘lone female’ firefighter, Anita Murrell. Thanks to the Duke of Gloucester who hosted the night once again, the girls from Upmarket Hair, EIT Hairdressing School and Waggs and Amy from More FM who kept the donations flowing. LEFT: Volunteer firefighters Anita Murrell from Havelock North with Ian Lilburn from Bayview. 14 Sharing • Child Cancer Foundation EV EN TS * LATEST EVE NTS * LAT E ST E V E N TS LATE ST * E VE NTS * LATE ST E VE NTS * LATEST EV EN TS Your inner princess launched for kids with cancer New Plymouth Mum Joanne Watson has launched a project to keep her artistic spirit alive while her daughter Emma goes through treatment for leukaemia, and at the same time bring colour to the lives of other little girls with cancer. Joanne is hand-making headbands for young girls going through hair loss caused by treatment. “Your Inner Princess” is a not for profit venture that Joanne hopes will bring a little joy to young girls who may be struggling with feeling pretty. When her youngest daughter Emma lost her hair during intense chemotherapy, she struggled to find her nice accessories so started making her own floral headbands. No two are alike and custom orders can be made. * V O LU N T E E R P R O FIL E * “Losing your hair can be a challenge as hard to face as the actual treatment and to be given something unexpected, something that can be worn on a head full of hair or equally on one as bald as can be, can lift moods and have a really positive result,” Joanne says. Through sponsorship and public sales, Jo is generously providing the headbands free to children on the cancer journey. To have a look at some of Joanne’s designs go to http://www.facebook.com/ pages/Your-Inner-Princess/ 168490356544428 or for more information email Jo at [email protected] or call/text her on 027 368 6030. RIGHT: Jo’s gorgeous daughter Emma models one of the headbands. V O LU N T E E R P R O FIL E * V O LU N T E E R P R O FIL E * V O LU N T E E R P R O FIL E Volunteer - Isla Osborne Our wonderful Beads of Courage® champion Isla Osborne, has been hand making glass milestone Beads of Courage for over five years as well as coordinating the 20 glass artists who help her make them. The Foundation needs roughly 5,000 hand-made glass milestone beads a year as part of its Beads of Courage® programme. This year Isla is aiming for 75 artists to regularly donate beads, a big ask considering there are perhaps only about 100 glass artists in the country. ABOVE: Isla at work “At the moment I organise donations of all the hand-made beads in the programme. I find glass artists willing to participate, send out information, anneal beads and clean up rough edges, package them and get them to the CCF,” Isla says. The artists produce Act of Courage beads, Bone Marrow Transplant treatment milestone beads, Purple Hearts and Butterfly beads. 2012 Child C ancer Appeal Mont h Call Out Planning is underw ay to make the 2012 Child Cancer Appeal Month ou r best ever! If you would like to volunteer to help collect on Beads of Courage Day on Fr iday 23 March 20 12, please contact 08 00 42 44 53 or us on visit www.childca ncer.org.nz to regis ter. It’s easy to help an d just an hour or tw o spent collecting can ma ke a real differenc e in the lives of children with ca ncer. Isla’s work is very much appreciated by Auckland Family Support Coordinator Janet Masina who manages the Beads of Courage® Programme. “Isla is all that and more!” says Janet. “Her coordination makes it so much easier for us, with her knowledge and quality control. She is fantastic.” To get involved please email Isla at [email protected] Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 15 * * R EGIONAL NE W S * RE GI O N AL N E W S * R E GI O N AL NE WS * RE GI O NAL NE WS * RE GI O NAL NE WS * REGION AL N EWS Regional News from our Branches: AUCKLAND – NORTHLAND REGION WAIKATO Northland - The Northland area has We hope you all have kept warm over these past few cold months. Roll on summer! been ticking along nicely this year, with not many new members – just the way we like it! We enjoyed a great bus trip to the Waiwera Hot Pools in July, with 33 people enjoying a leisurely day of soaking in the lovely pools, then rushing down the slides, followed by a delicious barbecue, cooked by Jeff and Nick, with the rest of the hard work of preparing everything done by their partners Riana and Gloria. Our heartfelt thanks go as always to Athol Cave, for donating the bus and the petrol, and to Gene Netzler the driver, who gives his time to us for free. We have decided to have our Christmas Party in Whangarei this year, and we will send out flyers to let you know where and when it will be held. Lastly - we have had a very generous donation of $1500 from the Whangarei Zonta group, in memory of Raewyn Tonks, who was a member of Zonta for many years. Raewyn was our previous Chairperson, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Looking forward, our Branch Mums have enjoyed getting together, and making jewellery to sell for Child Cancer Appeal Month. The Mums enjoyed these mornings so much we are planning another jewellery morning sometime in October. Eva will be in touch with dates. In July we had a bereavement dinner. It gave parents of deceased children a time to reflect on their children’s lives and share war stories. It was a great privilege to hear from all parents and a big thank you to all who attended. In September we went to “Paint a Plate” at Splashy. It was a very creative day, allowing everyone to let out their inner ‘artist’. Beautifully painted mugs and plates were on show for us, to use in our own homes (two are pictured). It is one of our exciting events for the year - we have some imaginative minds and that is wonderful to see. In October we held our ‘Mum and Dad night out’. We went to Valentines this year with about 60 who showed up. A great turnout! Mothers sat and chatted over a coffee and Dads got together to play some pool. It’s a great way to network and find that extra little bit of support from people who understand what you are going through. PICS: The Waiwera Hot Pools trip was a great day out. We look forward to seeing you all at our next events. We are grateful for all of your help in turning up to what we put on for your benefit and we love hearing your feedback. Auckland - We have had a busy few months here at Auckland Branch. The Dads have been on a Dad’s Only Day Archery Day and our mums have had two outings. The first a lovely pamper evening over on the North Shore and the second a walk at the Botanical Gardens, followed by a very delicious lunch. Thanks to the committee members who organised these events. Our Annual Zoo day was held again and although it RAINED buckets a fun day was held for lots of our families. Thanks to Mamata Parbhu and family for all their hard work to give us such a great day. We presented Pat Wilkes (past Chairperson and current Board member) 16 Sharing • Child Cancer Foundation with a CCF Distinguished Services Award. Pat has been working for our families and walking the journey for quite a few years now and I know Pat would like me to mention the wonderful support he gets from his wife Kathie and youngest daughter Eilish. Memorial Day is coming up on November 13th and an invite for our bereaved families will be coming out soon. Lastly is a reminder about our Christmas Party. This will again be held at the Albany Stadium and if anybody would like to lend a few hours to help with this event please feel free to contact me, Chris Steel, on 09 2989065. * R EGIONAL NE W S * RE GI O N AL N E W S * R E GI O N AL NE WS * RE GI O NAL NE WS * RE GI O NAL NE WS * REGION AL N EWS MID NORTHERN Eastern Bay Of Plenty A family day was held during the last school holidays. A good number gathered together for movies followed by McDonalds for lunch. This will be repeated during the upcoming holidays. Coffee groups are still being held in the Lutheran church Hinemoa Street once a month. Many thanks go to Chelsea Thompson, Madison Atkins and Dayna Studer, students from Trident High School. They held a candyfloss stall to fundraise for us as a Business Enterprise activity - “ kids helping kids,” they said. Thanks also to Tait Kora who organised a fashion show as another fundraiser. All the models were staff from Whakatane Hospital with local businesses supplying the clothing and accessories. We would love to have more people on our committee, so if there are any parents out there with a couple of spare hours a month we would welcome seeing you. ABOVE: One of the Bay of Plenty doctors, Christian Hurling, pitching in at the Fashion Show! RIGHT: Ariana Pohio-Houlihan, Georgia Pigott, Harriet Savage and Patch Savage with some of the shadow boxes they created. Lakes Tairawhiti We held parents nights in both Taupo and Rotorua over the past couple of months, attended and enjoyed by many parents. Tairawhiti/Gisborne Branch held a holiday art workshop. Some of our children came along to create 3-dimensional “shadow boxes” containing drawings, beads and messages of thanks. The shadow boxes will be used as gifts for people in the local community who have generously supported the Child Cancer Foundation. The recipients of the art work pictured will be Gisborne emergency services, who organise and run our major fundraiser for the year, Young Nick’s Fishing Competition. A very successful quiz night was also held at Rotorua CT Club and money raised for the coffers – it has been asked by many if we will have another one so please try and come to the next one as loads of fun was had by all. We are fortunate that our arty Family Support Worker, Cheryl Scott, has her own studio where we were able to make these masterpieces. We had so much fun. Another workshop is planned for the next school holidays, with the intention of creating enough works to hold an exhibition in a local cafe. CENTRAL Wellington A group of Dads of children with cancer from the Central region had a great get together at Ohariu Farm recently getting into some classic boys stuff including axe throwing, clay bird shooting and archery! They then introduced some culture with a talk on wine from Chris Morgan (a Dad who is in the wine industry) followed by afternoon tea. It was a great day and the Dads all got time to talk together and renew and form new acquaintances. Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 17 * R EGIONAL NE W S * RE GI O N AL N E W S * R E GI O N AL NE WS * RE GI O NAL NE WS * RE GI O NAL NE WS * REGION AL N EWS Regional News continued... CANTERBURY WEST COAST South Canterbury We have been having a pretty quiet time over the past few months but our families have enjoyed a couple of outings to the ‘Shearers Quarters’ – a local restaurant and outdoor activities centre with a wonderful Aladdin’s cave of goodies to buy in the shop. building ‘Build a Bike’ day for their staff and donated two of the made-up bikes. They chose to give them to siblings, which was a great boost for them. funrazor, which is coming up later in the year is being organised and hopefully we will have more to report on that at a later date. The Queen’s Hotel in Timaru has done a couple of fundraising events for us, for which we are very grateful and we continue to have our donation boxes at various outlets. Obituary - Peter Keys It was with great sadness that as we were preparing our branch piece for the magazine, we were told of the passing of Peter Keys. A big thank you must go to the Fonterra factory personnel who held a team Peter had been actively involved with the South Canterbury Branch of CCF since its inception in 1996. He was the Branch’s first Treasurer and still held that office until a couple of years ago. He took a few months off from his Treasurer duties to look after his late wife Kath when she was ill, but still remained on the committee during this time and until his death. Peter was always willing to take on jobs and attend events. He was outstanding in his role as Treasurer over the years and was an extremely valued member of the South Canterbury Branch and will be sadly missed. OTAGO - SOUTHLAND North Otago - North Otago Branch recently received the proceeds from the High Country Boar Hunt held in our area. The event was well supported by keen pig hunters. The Branch appreciate the commitment of The Oamaru Club as well as local business and individuals who make this event possible. BELOW: Madie King with her mother Mary-Lee Dunedin - We would like to dedicate this article to a local family, the Kings. It is extremely hard and tiring to go through the treatment journey when your child has been diagnosed with cancer. Time seems to stand still and race by all at the same time. Madie King lives in Dunedin, she was diagnosed with a rare cancer last September. She was 11 years old. Her family, Dad Steve, Mum Mary-Lee and sister Sophie and of course Madie are still going through the long treatment journey. When Madie was diagnosed, Mary-Lee said to her that if she lost her hair, then she too, would shave her hair off in support. Mary-Lee and Steve decided that if they were going to have their heads shaved, then they wanted to raise money for Child Cancer. They wanted to give back to an organisation that helped them. They decided to hold a “Head Shave” and auction night at a local hotel, the Commercial Tavern in Green Island, and this was set for Wednesday 13 July. Mary-Lee organised and arranged everything despite Madie having unexpected complications and being very unwell at times. The whole community came out to support this wonderful family. You could hardly move as children and adults rallied around to have their heads shaved, bid on auctions and buy raffle tickets. Over $12,500 has been raised for the Child Cancer Foundation by this wonderful family who is still travelling down the long road of treatment. Thank you to the King family. We are so very grateful to you not only for the funds you have raised but for your warm, positive attitude. You are an inspiration to us all. Southland Branch - Well done to Michael Stevenson, Frazer Lieshout and Callum Harvey, (pictured). Three fantastic young men from Gore managed to combine six month’s of going without a haircut or a shave into a successful fundraising venture. They raised $1,136. In June our branch organised a celebratory afternoon in Invercargill to present Robyn Kelly with her Community Services award for her dedication to the Child Cancer Foundation. The Southland branch enjoyed a midwinter outing of Lazerstrike Glow in the Dark Mini Golf and Chipmunks followed by dinner and a catch up at the Kelvin hotel. 18 Sharing • Child Cancer Foundation Huge thanks to all our fantastic sponsors, we couldn’t do it without you! GOLD STAR SPONSORS: MAJOR FUNDING PARTNER: FOUNDATION PARTNER: SPONSOR AND SUPPORT PARTNERS: FUNDING PARTNERS: Guardian Trust | Pelorus Trust | Southern Trust | Lion Foundation | Four Winds Foundation | Infinity Foundation Robinson Trust - Diana and Andrew Robinson | New Zealand Lottery Grants Board | BA Lewis Charitable Trust | Youthtown Trust | Ernest Hyam Davis Trust | Kathleen Dorothy Kirkby Charitable Trust | Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust | Thomas George Macarthy Trust | NZ Community Trust | The Elaine Gurr Endowment Trust | Mt Wellington Foundation | The Trusts Charitable Foundation | The Mainland Foundation. Supporter Update RCP is a new Gold Star sponsor, here to help the Foundation financially, with resources and fundraising. RCP held a mid-winter Christmas dinner in July to introduce our new partnership to staff and key clients and to raise funds. RCP is an award-winning provider of professional Project Management and Project Programming services to New Zealand’s property industry. In November, one of RCP’s staff, Matt Murphy, will run the New York Marathon, also raising funds for the Child Cancer Foundation. Matt is a father of two young children of his own and is keen to make a difference. We can’t wait to see how he goes in the Big Apple! OTAGO MERINO ASSOCIATION - The Child Cancer Foundation has received nearly $6,000 from the Otago Merino Association following the Merino Excellence Awards evening at Skyline, Queenstown on the 17 June, 2011. The money came from the annual Child Cancer Fleece competition and auction. This year’s competition attracted 142 fleeces, which were donated along with other non-competition fleeces. That brings the total raised by the Association and the annual fundraiser to an estimated $100,000 in the past 21 years. The woolly fundraiser was started by Mary and Gerald Goodger, parents of Francesca who was diagnosed with a kidney tumour in 1986 when she was just five. Francesca is 29 and now lives in Melbourne. Child Cancer Foundation • Sharing 19 Christmas jewels with purpose! Support the Child Cancer Foundation by purchasing two stylish pieces of Kagi jewellery, perfect for christmas gifts! Jewels of Purpose Bracelet Gemstones for this meaningful bracelet have been selected for their nurturing properties including soothing amazonite, harmonic clear quartz, and protecting turquoise. A silver charm of the Child Cancer Foundation logo (a mother holding a child) complete this stunning bracelet. $30 from every bracelet sold goes directly to the Child Cancer Foundation. CHRISTMAS OFFER - Purchase a Jewels of Purpose bracelet for $95 and get a second one half price! B RAV E H EART N E C K LA C E Features a facetted onyx heart threaded onto a string of cream freshwater pearls. CHRISTMAS OFFER - Purchase a Braveheart necklace for $180 and receive a Jewels of Purpose bracelet. To order one of these christmas specials please contact Meredith Free on 09 303 9973 or [email protected] LIMITED STOCK AVAILABLE. Every child and their family walking the child cancer journey will never feel alone. National Office PHONE 0800 4 CHILD FACEBOOK Visit Child Cancer 76 Grafton Road Grafton, Auckland 1010 PHONE (09) 366-1270 (0800 4 24453) EMAIL [email protected] WEB www.childcancer.org.nz TWITTER Foundation page ChildCancerNZ