In the St Nick of time

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RUTH HILL - The Dominion Post | Monday, 22 December 2008

JOHN SELKIRK/The Dominion Post

EARLY CHEER: Leukaemia sufferer Bianca White woke up to presents yesterday because her treatment will make her and her family miserable at Christmas.

Santa came early for Bianca White, providing some cheer before she starts treatment today that will leave her too miserable to enjoy herself on Christmas Day.

The White family celebrated Christmas yesterday before the five-year-old starts a five-day round of steroid treatment to help her battle against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Her father, Terence, said Bianca left out some fairy bread and milk for Santa on Saturday night, which must have worked, because she awoke to a pile of presents at the end of her bed. "She woke up and leapt straight into them."

Her favourite present was the board game Mouse Trap, which had been top of her wish list.

Her parents' families in South Africa sent presents early and Bianca, who is a good reader, played Santa's helper, handing out the gifts under the tree to her parents and little sister Caitlyn.

Lea White said her daughter's monthly steroid treatment was always a tough time, turning the sunny little girl "very grumpy and sad". "It's terrible ... basically we anticipate none of us is going to be up to much on the 25th itself and we'd all have more fun if we celebrated early."

Bianca's leukaemia was diagnosed two weeks before her fourth birthday.

Families with child cancer patients in the lower North Island had it even tougher after July last year when Wellington Hospital downgraded its service after the departure of a paediatric oncologist. The other specialist left in January. For 15 months, children had to travel to Auckland and Christchurch for treatment till the arrival in October of husband-and-wife team Christian Kratz and Mwe Mwe Chao. Their arrival was too late for the Whites, who moved to Auckland in May to be nearer to specialist services.

Bianca has finished the intensive phase of her treatment but will be on daily chemotherapy tablets, steroids and monthly lumbar punctures till September. Her parents are determined to give her as normal a life as possible. Bianca loves school and Caitlyn, 21 months, has started daycare. Previously, she could not mix with other children because of the threat she could bring bugs home to Bianca, who was especially vulnerable to infection.

Bianca has also been given permission by her doctors to begin swimming lessons and her parents plan to send her to a Child Cancer Foundation camp in January.

Mrs White said she and her husband felt grateful for how far they had come this year. "You don't know what you can bear till you have to we've been privileged to meet some incredible people, doctors and nurses and other families of kids with cancer."

Hundreds bid Kyah farewell

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GREER McDONALD - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 22 November 2008

PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

FAREWELL: Graeme Han, mother Shanell Christian, father Jason Milne, brother Jordan, 7, and Nicholas Cavaye brought Kyah Milne's casket into the chapel. At 19 months she was found to have neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal glands.

Words made famous by Christopher Robin in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories resonated with a crowd of hundreds that gathered to celebrate the life of tiny battler Kyah Milne.

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember - you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you."

Kyah died peacefully at home on Wednesday, aged "almost three", after a 16-month fight against neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal glands.

Friends and family who gathered at Lychgate Chapel in Johnsonville yesterday listened to a recording of Kyah's 12-year-old brother Kaleb, who recited passages from books such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Hairy Maclary.

Kyah's small white coffin, covered in sparkly stickers, was carried into the chapel by family members to the sound of Scottish pipes.

Celebrant Karen Simpson, who took the marriage service of Kyah's parents Shanell Christian and Jason Milne, spoke of Kyah's short but memorable life - "Defying the odds at every turn, hand-in-hand with her trusty companion 'Raffe [Giraffe].

"We remember Kyah for her indomitable spirit, her determination and for the things that she has taught us to value - love, laughter and life."

Kaleb read a poem he had written for his baby sister, and Child Cancer Foundation staff presented the family with bright pink sparkly scarves.

Members of Kyah's playgroup sang her favourite song "Ka Kite [Farewell]" while a slideshow of photos was shown.

Remembering Kyah

Some video clips as on 3 News (you will need sound).

Kyah passing away

Friends and family pay tribute to brave toddler

Family, friends and well-wishers wishing farewell Kyah Milne

Brave toddler Kyah Milne's life remembered

Emotional farewell for Kyah

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GREER McDONALD - The Dominion Post | Friday, 21 November 2008



FAREWELL: Bringing Kyah Milne's casket into the chapel today are from left, Graeme Han, mother Shanell Christian, father Jason Milne, brother Jordan, 7, and Nicholas Cavaye. At 19 months the toddler was found to have neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal glands.


Strangers moved by the journey of brave toddler Kyah Milne stood alongside friends and family at the celebration of her short life in the Wellington suburb of Johnsonville this afternoon.

Before the ceremony at Lychgate Funeral Home hundreds of people listened to a recording of Kyah's brother Kaleb reciting passages from books including The Very Hungry Caterpiller and Hairy Maclary.

Kyah's white coffin, covered in stickers, was carried in by family members to the sound of Scottish pipes.

The celebrant, who previously married Kyah's parents Shanell Christian and Jason Milne, read a eulogy detailing the short but memorable life of the almost three-year-old.

When she was just 19 months old she was found to have neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal glands.

Kyah's journey an inspiration for thousands

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Tributes and donations flow after toddler's death

GREER McDONALD - The Dominion Post | Friday, 21 November 2008

SUNDAY STAR-TIMES

BUTTERFLY PRINCESS: Kyah Milne, who died on Wednesday at the home of her parents Shanell Christian and Jason Milne.

Kyah Milne may have drawn her last breath in her fight against cancer, but her battle has inspired thousands to dig deep to provide continuing support for others.

Fundraising websites have attracted nearly $20,000 of donations toward the Child Cancer Foundation in dedication to Kyah's battle, which ended in her parents' Johnsonville home on Wednesday morning.

She died peacefully, with her parents and her much-loved stuffed toy "Giraffe" at her side, just over a week before her third birthday. .

Kyah was found to have neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal glands, when she was 19 months old.

Tributes have flowed from around the world to the online journal that was kept by her parents throughout the toddler's 505-day rule-breaking fight with the disease.

"She has gone to a place where she can run and play just like any other almost-three-year-old" can, where she is surrounded by butterflies and Polly Pockets and where she is no longer in pain," her mother, Shanell Christian, wrote on the site.

Kyah's father, Jason Milne, told The Dominion Post yesterday that the many donations were "absolutely amazing".

"I guess that's just one of the ways that people can help, and that's fantastic - that's what we've always said through this journey, for people not to send gifts, just donate to child cancer or Ronald McDonald House."

Donations can also be left at Kyah's funeral service, which begins at 1pm today at the Lychgate Chapel in Johnsonville.

Mr Milne said the support the family received from Christchurch and Wellington hospitals and from community nurses was "absolutely amazing", and that staff had become like family.

The popular journal of Kyah's treatment and fight against cancer, which was regularly updated by her parents, received more than 1000 comments of condolence after her death.

Mr Milne said he hoped the entries would eventually be made into a book so that the couple's two other children, 12-year-old Kaleb and seven-year-old Jordan, would understand "how to treat people, and how people can band together".

Kyah's journey an inspiration for thousands

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By GREER MACDONALD - The Dominion Post | Friday, 21 November 2008

DEAN KOZANIC/The Press

FOREVER REMEMBERED: Fundraising websites have gathered nearly $20,000 for the Child Cancer Foundation, in dedication to Kyah Milne. Her battle with cancer ended on Wednesday morning.

Kyah Milne may have drawn her last breath in her fight against cancer, but her battle has inspired thousands to dig deep to provide continuing support for others.

Fundraising websites have attracted nearly $20,000 of donations toward the Child Cancer Foundation in dedication to Kyah's battle, which ended in her parents' Johnsonville home on Wednesday morning.

She died peacefully, with her parents and her much-loved stuffed toy "Giraffe" at her side, just over a week before her third birthday.

Kyah was found to have neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal glands, when she was 19 months old.

Tributes have flowed from around the world to the online journal that was kept by her parents throughout the toddler's 505-day rule-breaking fight with the disease.

"She has gone to a place where she can run and play just like any other almost-three-year-old can, where she is surrounded by butterflies and Polly Pockets and where she is no longer in pain," her mother, Shanell Christian, wrote on the site.

Kyah's father, Jason Milne, told The Dominion Post yesterday that the many donations were "absolutely amazing".

"I guess that's just one of the ways that people can help, and that's fantastic - that's what we've always said through this journey, for people not to send gifts, just donate to child cancer or Ronald McDonald House."

Donations can also be left at Kyah's funeral service, which begins at 1pm today at the Lychgate Chapel in Johnsonville.

Mr Milne said the support the family received from Christchurch and Wellington hospitals and from community nurses was "absolutely amazing", and that staff had become like family.

The popular journal of Kyah's treatment and fight against cancer, which was regularly updated by her parents, received more than 1000 comments of condolence after her death.

Mr Milne said he hoped the entries would eventually be made into a book so that the couple's two other children, 12-year-old Kaleb and seven-year-old Jordan, would understand "how to treat people, and how people can band together".

Bittersweet birthday for cancer tot

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By KRISTIAN SOUTH - Sunday News | Sunday, 12 October 2008

Tears flowed as "birthday" cheers rang out yesterday for New Zealand's bravest little girl, Kyah Milne.

It was hoped Kyah, two, would be the face of a child cancer campaign after it seemed she had gone into remission from a heart-wrenching battle with deadly neuroblastoma.

But the emotional rollercoaster of the Wellington tot's short life took a tragic twist as the disease came raging back last month.

Realising they had just days left with their precious daughter, Kyah's dad Jason Milne and mum Shanell Christian brought forward her third birthday to yesterday.

The couple was determined the event would be a celebration of Kyah's heroic life rather than a sad commemoration.

"We knew she wouldn't make it to see her third birthday, so we decided to bring it forward," Shanell told Sunday News.

"We were planning to have it next weekend but we don't think she'll even hold on for that long.

"People have come from all around the country to see Kyah," said Shanell.

"This is more about everybody having a chance to say goodbye.

"It's more about celebrating her life than her birthday," she said.

Shanell shared her daughter's highs and lows in an internet blog, titled Kyah's Journey.

It attracted hundreds of hits a day as supporters sought to be updated on the little girl's struggle with neuroblastoma a rare cancer of the adrenal glands mainly affecting children under five.

Those wellwishers united to help transform Kyah's Johnsonville home into a carnival yesterday complete with a petting zoo, a bouncy castle, professional face painters and a clown.

"We were thinking we would do something big for her, but like family big. Now we've got people from all around New Zealand, some of whom we've never met face-to-face, coming to celebrate Kyah's life," Shanell said.

"We only had five days to organise it and I wrote about that on my blog and before we knew it were were getting so many offers for so many people."

A bittersweet presence at the party was a string of beads, each one representing a procedure Kyah has been through.

She has endured major surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Every day she needs several doses of morphine to keep the pain at bay.

Jason and Shanell have shared their daughter's rollercoaster ride since she was diagnosed with cancer 15 months ago.

Less than a month ago, they believed Kyah was just weeks away from being in remission. But on September 16, they were were given the devastating news the cancer had returned terminally.

"We don't see it as losing Kyah," Shanell said. "We see that through all her treatments and therapy we had seven fantastic months with our baby girl. She was fantastic, she loved being the centre of attention.

"We even applied for her to be the face of next year's child cancer campaign. She was just a normal happy little girl for eight months and that is a time that we will always be able to cherish."

While the family are preparing to say goodbye to little Kyah, they are also working hard to ensure her brief but blazing life will create goodness and kindness for others.

They are fundraising for the Child Cancer Foundation and Ronald McDonald House.

"When Kyah was in hospital in Christchurch I don't think we could have survived without that network," Jason said.

"We almost didn't want to leave, because it was like leaving a part of your family. We could never do enough to say thank you."

TradeMe is running a continuous auction on behalf of Kyah's family, where buyers bid for the right to sign their username on a T-shirt before putting it back up for auction. They are hoping the scheme will raise $5000 for CCF.

And Kyah's big brothers Kaleb, 12, and Jordan, seven, have been growing their hair long so they can shave it off as a fundraiser.

"Last year I managed to raise $750," Kaleb said.

If you would like to make a donation please visit www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/kyahsjourney.

kyahsjourney.livejournal.com

Bianca's wish comes true

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By LUCY VICKERS - North Shore Times | Friday, 31 October 2008

EXPERIMENTING: Bianca White, 5, was delighted to spend time doing food experiments with Suzy Cato.

Five-year-old Bianca White has to go into hospital once a month for intensive chemotherapy, blood transfusions and steroid treatments.

Yet she is rarely seen without a smile on her face.

Bianca, from Albany, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in June last year.

The following eight months saw her spend 106 days in hospital with infections.

One of her favourite things is to watch Suzy Cato’s Suzy’s World DVDs, which show science and food experiments.

So as part of the Make A Wish programme Bianca requested to spend time with the beloved children’s
personality.

She was picked up from her home and taken to The Quadrant where she got to bake three different kinds of cupcakes – one with full ingredients, one with no oil and one with no eggs.

And then they made some instant freezing icecream.

Bianca’s mum Lea says the day was "really brilliant, she had such a great time, the best day ever".

She says her daughter, who has a one-year-old sister Caitlyn, is a happy-go-lucky child who takes it in her stride and never complains.

At the moment she has to take chemo and antiviral preventative tablets every
day.

"She’s in the maintenance phase, which means looking out for and targeting hidden cells.

"It’s an ongoing treatment but hopefully she will be finished by September next year."

Cancer battler Kyah still clinging to life

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By TAMMY BUCKLEY and KRISTIAN SOUTH - Sunday News | Sunday, 19 October 2008

Brave cancer tot Kyah Milne was last night continuing to cling to life with her family by her side.

The two-year-old Wellington girl has captured the hearts of the nation, with her dedicated parents Shanell Christian and Jason Milne continuing to spend as much precious time with their daughter as she slowly dies of the neuroblastoma cancer that has riddled her body.

"We're now just really playing it hour by hour," Shanell told Sunday News yesterday.

"It used to be months, weeks, then it was days. Now we are into the hours every hour is a bonus.

"She is battling on but she's pretty sleepy, she's not doing a whole lot. We appreciate every hour we have with her now."

Sunday News last week told the story of little Kyah and her family's heart-wrenching plight, which is documented in an online journal written by Shanell.

The family had moved Kyah's third birthday party forward a month to last weekend, to give the hundreds of people touched by the precious youngster a chance to say goodbye.

"She wasn't expected to live past last weekend. We'd all resigned ourselves to saying goodbye but she's still here," Shanell said.

"She's playing by her own rules at the moment."

Shanell said the family were unsure how much longer Kyah could hold on.

Since our front-page article last Sunday, Kyah's online journal has become bombarded with messages of support.

"Her journal is getting so many hits. We used to get 14 or 15 comment but now we're in the 60s. The support is huge, absolutely huge."

Well-wishers have donated more than $2400 to the Child Cancer Foundation.

Click here for original article.

By HAYDEN DONNELL - North Shore Times | Tuesday, 14 October 2008

TUI SONG: Tui McLeod sang to raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation.

Child cancer donors have been drawn to open their wallets by a North Shore songbird.

Birkdale six-year-old Tui McLeod was diagnosed with a large tumour on her brain stem in May 2007 after waking up paralysed on her right side.

Surgery and long-running chemotherapy did not stop her giving her all to raise cash for the Child Cancer Foundation this month.

She sang her favourite tunes from Phantom of the Opera and interviewed celebrities at the foundation’s Cash Cube for Kids event.

Mum Deborah Lennon says cancer has not taken away Tui’s love of life or desire to be in the spotlight.

She wants to become an ambassador for the Child Cancer Foundation and she raises money for the foundation because it helped and supported her through her cancer journey.

"They’ve helped relieve the financial burdens and the emotional stress. It has just taken that pressure off," says Ms Lennon.

"There’s so many families out there that need support, they need this money."

A group of AUT students designed the Cash Cube for Kids event, which raised about $3500 for child cancer. They designed a brightly coloured cube to which people were encouraged to stick their donations.

Student Melanie Michels of Torbay says: "It was really rewarding interacting with the kids and raising money for such a good cause. It was also amazing to see how generous Aucklanders really are."

Cancer children coming home

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By RUTH HILL - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 16 October 2008

KENT BLECHYNDEN/The Dominion Post

SETTLING IN: Wellington's new child cancer specialists Mwe Mwe Chao and her husband, Christian Kratz, don't have any patients yet. They toured the paediatric ward and met Victoria Jacobs, 7, who has rheumatoid arthritis.

There was no obvious upside when Wellington's two child cancer specialists quit.

But it did create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for one medical couple and Wellington now has two world-class clinicians.

United States-born specialist Mwe Mwe Chao said she and her husband, Christian Kratz, arrived on Sunday.

They worked together at the University of Freiberg Hospital in Germany and were in the unusual position of "looking for the same job in the same place".

"We thought it [New Zealand] would be a wonderful place to raise our family." The couple have a 21-month-old daughter, Matilda.

Dr Kratz said they were also excited at the prospect of rebuilding the service.

"All the staff are very motivated and there's a lot of positive energy."

With the resignation of Liz Hesketh in July last year, the unit - one of three child cancer centres in the country - was forced to send patients to Auckland or Christchurch.

The last remaining specialist, Anne Mitchell, stepped down in January.

Dr Chao said there were big challenges ahead.

"Part of the problem is New Zealand is small and paediatric oncology - fortunately - is also small, and that presents problems for practising physicians ...

"But I think the health board has done a really good job of organising everything, there's strong commitment from staff and everyone is ready to go."

Dr Kratz also plans to continue his world-leading research into the genetic origins of cancer.

The health board hopes to recruit a third specialist.

The couple hope all Wellington families will be home by the end of November.

Johnsonville mother Shanell Christian, whose daughter Kyah was diagnosed with cancer 15 months ago, said she was relieved that other families would not go through the same trauma her family had suffered. They were sent to Christchurch less than 24 hours after Kyah was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the adrenal glands.

She endured major surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and weeks apart from her father, Jason Milne, and two brothers.

The family learned last month the cancer had returned and Kyah was unlikely to see her third birthday on November 3.

"We're just enjoying the days we have left with her," Ms Christian said.

"It's too late for us, but I'm so glad that other families will not have to go through the trauma we suffered.

"When you have a sick kid, you don't want to have to leave home."

Wellington's child cancer unit up and running again

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New 7:56AM Thursday Oct 16, 2008

The arrival in Wellington this week of two paediatric oncologists means that the capital's child cancer patients can now be treated much closer to home.

United States-born specialist Mwe Mwe Chao and her husband, Christian Kratz, fill the void created by the resignation of Liz Hesketh in July last year and Anne Mitchell in January.

Their departures forced the unit - one of three child cancer centres in the country - to send patients to Auckland or Christchurch, splitting families at a traumatic time in their lives.

It is now hoped all Wellington families affected by child cancer will be home for treatment by the end of November.

The two world-class clinicians, who have come from Germany's University of Freiberg Hospital, were in the unusual position of "looking for the same job in the same place".

"We thought it (New Zealand) would be a wonderful place to raise our family," they told The Dominion Post.

Dr Kratz said they were also excited at the prospect of rebuilding the service.

"All the staff are very motivated and there's a lot of positive energy."

Dr Kratz also plans to continue his world-leading research into the genetic origins of cancer.

The health board still hopes to recruit a third specialist.

- NZPA

Bittersweet birthday for cancer tot

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The final celebration

KRISTIAN SOUTH - Sunday News | Sunday, 12 October 2008

TEARS flowed as "birthday" cheers rang out yesterday for New Zealand's bravest little girl, Kyah Milne.

It was hoped Kyah, two, would be the face of a child cancer campaign after it seemed she had gone into remission from a heart-wrenching battle with deadly neuroblastoma.

But the emotional rollercoaster of the Wellington tot's short life took a tragic twist as the disease came raging back last month.

Realising they had just days left with their precious daughter, Kyah's dad Jason Milne and mum Shanell Christian brought forward her third birthday to yesterday.

The couple was determined the event would be a celebration of Kyah's heroic life rather than a sad commemoration.

"We knew she wouldn't make it to see her third birthday, so we decided to bring it forward," Shanell told Sunday News.

"We were planning to have it next weekend but we don't think she'll even hold on for that long.

"People have come from all around the country to see Kyah," said Shanell.

"This is more about everybody having a chance to say goodbye.

"It's more about celebrating her life than her birthday," she said.

Shanell shared her daughter's highs and lows in an internet blog, titled Kyah's Journey.

It attracted hundreds of hits a day as supporters sought to be updated on the little girl's struggle with neuroblastoma a rare cancer of the adrenal glands mainly affecting children under five.

Those wellwishers united to help transform Kyah's Johnsonville home into a carnival yesterday complete with a petting zoo, a bouncy castle, professional face painters and a clown.

"We were thinking we would do something big for her, but like family big. Now we've got people from all around New Zealand, some of whom we've never met face-to-face, coming to celebrate Kyah's life," Shanell said.

"We only had five days to organise it and I wrote about that on my blog and before we knew it were were getting so many offers for so many people."

A bittersweet presence at the party was a string of beads, each one representing a procedure Kyah has been through.

She has endured major surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Every day she needs several doses of morphine to keep the pain at bay.

Jason and Shanell have shared their daughter's rollercoaster ride since she was diagnosed with cancer 15 months ago.

Less than a month ago, they believed Kyah was just weeks away from being in remission. But on September 16, they were were given the devastating news the cancer had returned terminally.

"We don't see it as losing Kyah," Shanell said. "We see that through all her treatments and therapy we had seven fantastic months with our baby girl. She was fantastic, she loved being the centre of attention.

"We even applied for her to be the face of next year's child cancer campaign. She was just a normal happy little girl for eight months and that is a time that we will always be able to cherish."

While the family are preparing to say goodbye to little Kyah, they are also working hard to ensure her brief but blazing life will create goodness and kindness for others.

They are fundraising for the Child Cancer Foundation and Ronald McDonald House.

"When Kyah was in hospital in Christchurch I don't think we could have survived without that network," Jason said.

"We almost didn't want to leave, because it was like leaving a part of your family. We could never do enough to say thank you."

TradeMe is running a continuous auction on behalf of Kyah's family, where buyers bid for the right to sign their username on a T-shirt before putting it back up for auction. They are hoping the scheme will raise $5000 for CCF.

And Kyah's big brothers Kaleb, 12, and Jordan, seven, have been growing their hair long so they can shave it off as a fundraiser.

"Last year I managed to raise $750," Kaleb said.

If you would like to make a donation please visit www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/kyahsjourney.

kyahsjourney.livejournal.com

Why I quit - Cancer Doctor

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By RUTH HILL - The Dominion Post | Monday, 01 September 2008

Supplied

WHY: Child cancer specialist Dr Liz Hesketh quit Wellington Hospital last year because she felt inadequate resourcing was putting patients at risk.

A highly regarded child cancer specialist who quit Wellington Hospital last year says she walked away because she felt inadequate resourcing was putting patients at risk.

Speaking publicly for the first time since leaving last July, Liz Hesketh said she had been forced to work with "continually dwindling resources and a unit moving towards unsafe clinical practice".

Dr Hesketh's departure forced the hospital's oncology unit to close its doors to new patients because it could no longer guarantee clinical safety. That resulted in children being sent to other clinics in Auckland and Christchurch.

Dr Hesketh was followed by colleague Anne Mitchell, who left in January. Since then a paediatrician has been running the service with support from Christchurch. Two new oncologists, Christian Kratz and Mwe Mwe Chao, arrive from Germany on October 12.

Dr Hesketh said the decision to quit Wellington was "very hard" and praised her former workmates at the hospital. But she said that, without adequate resources, they struggled to provide a first-world standard of care.

The number of "reportable events" involving child cancer patients at Wellington Hospital more than doubled in the first half of last year as the unit struggled with the rash of resignations.

Figures record 36 such events - which included administrative delays, staffing problems and medication errors or "near misses" - between April and June. In the first three months of the year there were 14. None had resulted in serious harm to patients.

Girls' eggs taken as safeguard

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By RUTH HILL and ANNA CHALMERS - The Dominion Post | Friday, 25 July 2008

Some parents of child cancer sufferers are having their little girls' eggs frozen to give them the chance of having their own babies one day.

However, doctors say the procedure is still experimental and there are ethical issues to resolve before it becomes standard practice.

Bioethics expert Gareth Jones, a spokesman for the Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology, which this week recommended allowing frozen eggs to be used in fertility treatment, said there was nothing in law to stop parents pursuing this option.

Ethics committees faced growing pressure from parents wanting their daughters' eggs or ovarian tissue removed before cancer treatment, he said.

"However, any application would still have to be considered by an ethics committee - with young children, there is the issue of informed consent, among other things."

Child cancer specialist Scott MacFarlane said he knew of two families who had gone to Australia to have the procedure in order to "circumvent the torturous ethics committee process" in New Zealand.

Another pre-pubescent girl had surgery in Christchurch to harvest ovarian tissue after clearance by the local ethics committee.

Dr MacFarlane said he welcomed open debate on the issue, which raised several clinical and ethical considerations.

"Our primary goal is to save the life of the child and we don't want to do anything that would jeopardise their chance of survival.

"Any delay to initiating cancer therapy in order to carry out what is still an experimental procedure that may ultimately prove a fruitless exercise has to be considered very carefully." His advice to parents was to "watch this space".

"There's a long way to go before I would advocate a wholesale programme of pre-pubescent children having this procedure before cancer treatment."

Wellington fertility specialist Andrew Murray said he had previously frozen eggs for women as young as 16 facing cancer treatment - but he would have qualms about taking tissue from pre-pubescent girls.

"As far as I am aware, there are no ethical guidelines for doing that to children and I wouldn't feel comfortable."

Lea White, whose five-year-old daughter, Bianca, was found to have leukaemia just over a year ago, said she had worried whether treatment would rob her of the chance of having children.

However, Mrs White said even if the family had been offered the chance to freeze some ovarian tissue, she was not sure they would have subjected Bianca to another invasive procedure after chemotherapy.

Hanover funds freeze crushes a sick boy's dream

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'It's my son's trust fund'

By KERRY WILLIAMSON - The Dominion Post | Friday, 25 July 2008

JOHN SELKIRK/Dominion Post

BROKEN PROMISE: Benjamin Pak was dying of leukaemia when mum Jacqui told him she would take him to Australia if he could pull through. But Hanover Finance's move to freeze investor's money crushed that dream.

Benjamin Pak was dying of leukaemia when his mum told him she would take him on a trip to the Gold Coast - if he could just pull through.

He beat the odds and is in remission, and next year Jacqui Clark was going to keep her promise to her 13-year-old son.

But that dream has been shattered by Hanover Finance's move to freeze investors' money, including Benjamin's $9000 trust fund.

"I promised him when he was sick in hospital - he was dying at that point, he hadn't eaten in three weeks - that if he could just get himself better and eat, I would take him on that trip," Ms Clark said.

"We were going to go next year. He was really excited. I really don't hold any faith in getting that money back now. It's sad."

Ms Clark, of west Auckland, is one of 14,500 people who invested more than $500 million in the company run by entrepreneurs Eric Watson and Mark Hotchin.

It is the third-largest privately owned finance firm in New Zealand - and the latest casualty of the finance-company-sector meltdown.

Yesterday the Commerce Commission said it had begun an investigation into the company.

Investors face a nervous three-week wait to see how much money they will get back.

Benjamin - after 3½ years of chemotherapy - has been in remission for the past four years.

Ms Clark first invested her son's trust fund with the company about five years ago. She re-invested it for another 30 days just last week, assured by a staff member that her son's money would be safe.

"It is not my money, it is my son's. We are mortgaged up to the eyeballs and this was going to give him that little bit of happiness," she said yesterday.

"This is what we've been focusing on, a promise I made years ago. And it looks like it's gone."

Hanover's troubles are a double blow to Ms Clark's family. Her 75-year-old mother invested close to $38,000, almost all her life savings. She is in hospital recovering from hip surgery.

"Poor old Mum, she is going to get out of hospital to think she's just got nothing."

Ms Clark has tried to explain the situation to her son, naturally disappointed his dream trip to the Gold Coast is in limbo.

"The sad thing is, Benjamin has said to me all these years, 'I'd love to have this, I'd love to have that'. I always said, 'You can't, this money is for later on'. It's a risk, but I thought it was a careful risk."

Family quit Wellington for Bianca's cancer care

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RUTH HILL - The Dominion Post Tuesday, 13 May 2008

ANDREW GORRIE/Dominion Post

ON THE MOVE: Bianca White with parents Lea and Terence and younger sister Caitlyn. `We would rather stay in Wellington . . . but personally I don't feel it's that safe at the moment,' Mrs White says.

Faced with the prospect of another five months without a paediatric oncologist in Wellington, Bianca White's parents are moving to Auckland to be nearer specialist services.

Bianca, 4, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia last June, two weeks before her birthday.

The timing could not have been worse: in July, Wellington Hospital was forced to downgrade its child cancer service after the departure of a paediatric oncologist.

The remaining specialist left in January.

Two permanent specialists from Germany are due to start work in October, but meanwhile children needing intensive treatment must go to Auckland or Christchurch.

Bianca's mother, Lea White, said though the nursing and medical staff at Ward 18 had bent over backwards to do their best for families in trying circumstances, the situation had been worrying.

An offer by her husband's employer to transfer him to Auckland "came at the right time".

"The staff here are wonderful, and the support from the Child Cancer Foundation has been a life-line ... If her case was a bit more straightforward, maybe we could wait till October ... but with everything she's been through we would rather she was under an oncologist on site."

Bianca is at present on a maintenance regime, rather than intensive chemotherapy, but she has suffered numerous complications and cannot mix with other child cancer patients because of a case of suspected shingles.

Mrs White said it was hard leaving Wellington, where the family had lived for three years.

"We would rather stay in Wellington ... but personally I don't feel it's that safe at the moment ...

"We always said we would do whatever it takes to get her through. It is disruptive but we are lucky we have this opportunity."

A Unit Struggling

The number of "reportable events" involving child cancer patients at Wellington Hospital more than doubled in the first half of last year as the unit struggled with a rash of resignations.

Figures issued by Capital and Coast District Health Board record 36 such events - which included administrative delays, staff issues, staffing levels and medication errors or "near misses" - between April and June. In the first three months of the year, there were 14.

None had resulted in serious harm to patients, said the board's clinical director of child health services, Graeme Lear.

Though there were very few child cancer patients, each child required dozens (in some cases hundreds) of procedures, interventions and interactions in the course of their treatment.

"We strongly encourage our staff to report any events or near misses, as this enables us to improve quality standards and adjust our processes to reduce the likelihood of recurrence."

Fighting against a repeat of history

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KENT BLECHYNDEN/Dominion Post

GETTING SUPPORT: Seven-year-old Liam Todd will have facial surgery for an aggressive malignant tumour next week, his father lost his battle with brain cancer two years ago.

Two years after a father lost his battle with brain cancer, his seven-year-old son is fighting a malignant tumour in his sinus cavity.

Matt Todd, 34, died in May 2006. Last month, Matt's son Liam was found to have an aggressive malignant tumour and once again the local community is rallying to support the family.

Liam's mother, Rebecca Todd, was just starting to come to terms with her husband's death when she received the shattering news. Doctors told her the two diagnoses were unrelated.

"The rug was pulled from under me. I expected the worst because I am used to hearing the worst, but when they delivered the diagnosis I was numb," she said.

The Kapiti Coast family - Mrs Todd also has a five-year-old daughter, Ashleigh - have returned from a 10-day stay at Ronald McDonald House in Christchurch, where Liam underwent procedures at Christchurch Hospital because there are no paediatric oncologists at Wellington Hospital.

The best thing about returning home for Liam was "being back in my bed".

Preliminary results show the tumour to be a type very rare in adults and even more rare in children. It does not respond to chemotherapy so will have to be removed.

Liam will undergo facial surgery at Hutt Hospital next week.

His biggest concern is having plasters removed after the surgery. "They really sting."

The outgoing schoolboy said it was "great" being back at school with his friends for a few days.

His biggest disappointment was not being able to play rugby, but the highlight of the past gruelling weeks had been a gift from the Crusaders - a jersey emblazoned with "Liam, all the best with your fight", signed by his heroes Richie McCaw, Leon MacDonald, Stephen Brett, coach Robbie Deans and other team members.

The annual Bowman-Todd memorial rugby match this weekend will now raise funds for Ronald McDonald House as well as Mary Potter Hospice.

The match is named for Mr Todd and his friend Dave Bowman, a 36-year-old former policeman who successfully campaigned for government funding for the chemotherapy drug Temodal before dying just five weeks after Mr Todd.

The police invitational team v Waikanae invitational team game kicks off at 1.15pm at Waikanae Park on Saturday.

Anyone wanting to support the event can contact Ty Davidson at Kapiti police station.

Wellington cancer specialist 'too dear' to keep

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By REBECCA PALMER - The Dominion Post | Monday, 21 April 2008

The locum hired by Wellington Hospital to fill in when its last child cancer specialist left is now also departing.

Paediatrician Lewis Ingram's contract has ended and he will return to Britain. He began working for Capital and Coast District Health Board in January, to fill a gap left by departing paediatric oncologist Anne Mitchell.

He was appointed with the possibility of staying an extra three months and is registered to work here till the end of July.

Two new child cancer specialists are due to begin in October.

The board says it will use another hospital paediatrician to fill the gap left by Dr Ingram till then.

A worried parent who contacted The Dominion Post said he had told her it was too expensive for the board to keep paying his accommodation costs and wages.

"He said, `It's not that I want to go, it's just the fact they have decided it's too expensive'.

"He was here short-term, we realise that. But I thought he was here for six months."

Another mother said she, too, had understood he would be here for a further three months.

"It's like we're back to square one again."

Capital and Coast clinical director of child health Graeme Lear said the board had considered extending Dr Ingram's contract but decided to cover his position by using an existing Wellington Hospital paediatrician. He had helped the hospital get through a transition period.

Though employing Dr Ingram had been "very pricey" - the board paid for him to stay in an apartment and provided a vehicle - funding was not behind the decision.

Dr Lear said parents of child cancer patients would notice little difference. Neither Dr Ingram nor the paediatrician who would step into his role were paediatric oncologists, though they had an interest in oncology. He understood parents felt anxious.

Wellington's child cancer service had been a secondary service rather than a tertiary (advanced) one while Dr Ingram had worked there. It would continue to be so till paediatric oncologists Christian Kratz and Mwe Mwe Chao arrived from Germany in October. Complicated procedures and treatments would continue to be provided at Christchurch or Auckland hospitals till then.

No more tough trips for Bianca

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TOM FITZSIMONS - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 03 April 2008

KENT BLECHYNDEN/The Dominion Post

CHEERY AND CHEEKY: Leukaemia sufferer Bianca White, 4, enjoys a fresh-air break outside the Grace Neill block.

While Bianca White laughed and tasted fresh air for the first time in days, her father gave thanks that the "axe blow" to Wellington Hospital's child cancer unit had been staved off.

"We're happy," Terence White said yesterday outside the hospital where four-year-old Bianca is in an isolation unit.

"We do think Wellington should have an oncology service. It's the capital city of New Zealand - and we'd really like to have some certainty."

Bianca was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia last June, beginning a course of treatment more than two years long. Though the most intensive chemotherapy had finished - and her hair was starting to grow back - Bianca was put back into isolation earlier this week because of a recurring case of shingles.

Hospital staff let her have 10 minutes outside in a Wellington southerly yesterday afternoon. But despite not being able to push the button in the lift or shake hands, Bianca was full of cheek - joking with her dad as she rode aloft on his shoulders.

"She's been as cheery as we have been," Mr White said. "At the end of the day, it's something that has happened. It doesn't do a lot of good being sad about it."

Going to Christchurch for treatment before Christmas had been tough, and further trips or a permanent move would have been jarring for the family, he said. Temporary doctors at Wellington were helpful, but there were no options if they were sick or Bianca had problems after-hours.

The shortage had been "pretty much like an axe blow" and other families had suffered more than them, shuttling back and forth to other hospitals.

Cancer unit saved

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Two new child specialists hired; old block to be kept as children's hospital

REBECCA PALMER - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 03 April 2008

Children with cancer will get treatment closer to home after Wellington Hospital hired two specialists from Germany to boost its ailing service.

Wellington's sick children are also set to get a new hospital after Capital and Coast District Health Board decided to keep a building previously scheduled to face the wrecking ball.

The board plans to move children's services to the larger Grace Neill building once the new hospital building in Newtown opens.

The board announced yesterday it had recruited two paediatric oncologists - Christian Kratz and Mwe Mwe Chao - from Germany. The pair are expected to start work in October.

Twenty-one children have been sent to Auckland or Christchurch for tertiary (complex) cancer treatment since the sudden resignation of one of Wellington's cancer doctors last July. Its remaining specialist finished in January.

In a bid to save the service, Capital and Coast signed a memorandum of understanding with Canterbury DHB in December to provide a joint service. That memorandum still stands.

Clinical director of child health Graeme Lear said it had been a difficult time.

"We acknowledge and regret the difficulties experienced by patients, their families and staff over the past few months, but we plan to bring this service back up to a full tertiary paediatric oncology service as soon as possible."

The board would continue working with other district health boards till the new doctors arrived. Dr Lear said the pair's skills would benefit the entire country.

Health Minister David Cunliffe said he was delighted with the appointments, which came after he made it clear to the board "something had to be done and done quickly".

Chief operating officer Martin Hefford told a board meeting yesterday that one of the doctors would work part-time at Wellington's medical school. The board would continue looking for a third oncologist.

Ronald McDonald House Wellington chief executive Lesley Slieker had met the doctors when they visited the house a few weeks ago and she said they would be a fantastic asset to the city.

"We're really delighted for the families who have been pushed to the limit over the last few months."

Child Cancer Foundation spokesman John Robson said the need to travel to Auckland or Christchurch had placed added pressure on families and stretched the foundation's resources.

The 11-storey Grace Neill block, planned for the children's hospital, currently contains women's health, maternity services and wards - services that will be moved to the new hospital when it is completed at the end of this year.

Original hospital redevelopment plans did not include the building but interim chief executive Derek Milne said keeping it would give a bigger space for the children's hospital.

A connecting tunnel would be built between the new building and the Grace Neill block.

The existing children's hospital would be converted to offices.

The plan will use $10 million the board has remaining in its redevelopment budget on refurbishments.

Lucy Laws home from hospital

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By DONNA CHISHOLM - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 23 March 2008

NEVILLE MARRINER/Sunday Star Times

HOME AT LAST: Lucy Laws at home in Wanganui, wearing her beads of courage - one for every procedure she has gone through since being diagnosed with leukaemia.

It was the only present Michael Laws' family wanted this Easter having their golden girl Lucy back at home in Wanganui after nearly six weeks in Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital being treated for leukaemia.

Lucy, three, spent her first night at home on Friday night a day later than planned after she developed a fever on Thursday and had to be admitted to Wanganui Hospital overnight.

And while Laws and his partner, Leonie Brookhammer, and their youngest daughter, Zoe, are delighted to have Lucy home, the respite is only temporary Lucy must return for more treatment in Auckland on Thursday.

"I had this expectation that when Lucy came home everything would be normal again. But then you realise there is no normal any more," Brookhammer said.

Said Laws: "It just brought home to us that there is no end to this. The worrying part I think every cancer parent goes through it is that so much can go wrong."

Lucy was due to be discharged more than a week ago but spiking fevers from possibly hospital-acquired infections delayed her release.

Brookhammer, who is nearly three months' pregnant, says she and the girls ended up spending most of Lucy's first night home on the sofa.

"Zoe wanted to cuddle mummy, and Lucy wanted to cuddle mummy. And mummy wanted to cuddle daddy. So I spend half the night cuddling Lucy and half cuddling Zoe."

And while most children will be enjoying their Easter eggs today, Brookhammer says the biggest battle is getting Lucy to eat at all. She has lost weight and has a poor appetite since stopping the steroids she was on, but has had a hot cross bun and some chicken.

Lucy has had an almost miraculous recovery since being diagnosed with leukaemia, pneumonia and a fungal infection on her lungs doctors initially gave her only a slim chance of survival.

Michael Law's daughter back in hospital

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1:24AM Friday March 14, 2008

Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws' young daughter Lucy has been readmitted to hospital with an infection.

The three-year-old had been staying at Auckland's Ronald McDonald House while being treated at Starship Children's Hospital for leukaemia.

Mr Laws said that as she underwent chemotherapy treatment she was more susceptible to infection than most children her age.

"She went to theatre and came out with a temperature of 39 degrees," Mr Laws told the Wanganui Chronicle.

Yesterday, she had so much pain she was unable to walk.

He said it was unclear exactly what the infection was, but it was probably caused by Lucy's poor immune system.

"We have been warned this is the case, and the reality is, even with a best-case scenario, it will be a roller-coaster ride for our family life. We just have to hope it works out."

In happier news, it has been revealed Mr Laws and his partner Leonie Brookhammer are engaged.

Mr Laws told Woman's Day he proposed on Christmas Day with a ring chosen with the help of his son, James.

He also revealed Ms Brookhammer was pregnant with the couple's third child.

Mr Laws has two adult children from previous relationships, and Ms Brookhammer has two additional teenage children.

- NZPA

143 acts of courage

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By RUTH HILL - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 13 March 2008

CRAIG SIMCOX/Dominion Post

BRAVE ACTS: Each of the 143 beads on eight-year-old Stephen Uelese's necklace represents an 'act of courage' by the boy in his battle against cancer. He gets a hug from brother Ke'es, two.

Each of the 143 beads on eight-year-old Stephen Uelese's necklace represents an "act of courage" by the boy in his battle against cancer.

Every blood test, scan, chemotherapy session, surgical procedure, the two weeks he spent in isolation with pneumonia and pancreatitis, the week he was in a wheelchair because of a bad reaction to medication - each horrible experience is part of his own personal rosary.

"I hate the chemo," Stephen said. "But the beads are cool."

Most child cancer patients taking part in the Child Cancer Foundation's Beads of Courage programme will collect more than 400 beads during treatment.

"Beads of Courage provide the children with a special way of communicating and lets them know just how brave we think they are," foundation spokeswoman Olivia Baylock said.

Stephen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's T-cell lymphoma in October, three months after Wellington Hospital's child cancer unit was forced to close its doors to new patients because of staff shortages.

His mother, Marika Broad, said the family had 12 hours to "sort their lives out" before going to Auckland so Stephen could be treated at Starship children's hospital for six weeks.

Since January, the family had been sent to Christchurch Hospital three times, and it faced another five trips before Stephen could start outpatient treatment.

Being ripped away from normal life was very disruptive for the whole family, Ms Broad said.

"Stephen has been very, very brave but he always asks when can we go home to Wellington."

The practical and emotional support from the foundation workers in Wellington and the Ronald McDonald houses in Auckland and Christchurch had been vital.

"If it wasn't for these non-governmental foundations, we wouldn't survive the journey we are going through."

The foundation's annual appeal is this week and collectors are on Wellington streets today.

Cancer appeal fits All Black to a T

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5:00AM Wednesday March 12, 2008

By Craig Borley

3-year-old cancer sufferer Alexa Carter gets up close to All Black and Blues hooker Keven Mealamu. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Some heavy All Black grunt has got behind this year's Child Cancer Foundation annual appeal _ but as a fashion designer, not a footballer.

Keven Mealamu, the hooker famed for his shattering tackling, designed a T-shirt for the appeal, with a personal touch.

The T-shirt is graced by a monkey, with one ear swollen like his own cauliflowered auricle. Mealamu, who took art at school, said it was a fitting image.

"When kids first see me, they're staring at my ears for a long time. And I call my own kids my cheeky monkeys."

Mealamu was at the Foundation's Family Place in Auckland yesterday, playing with the children and signing their T-shirts.

"You take things for granted. It could easily be one of my children here. You can imagine what the parents are going through. So anything you can do to put a smile on the kids' faces is worthwhile," he said.

CCF marketing manager Olivia Blaylock said Mealamu's input was amazing.

"We need $7 million a year to run, and we don't receive any government funding. So any help these people can give us is incredible.

"And it's great for the kids to see him, and hang out with him."

Rochelle and Brent Miller, whose 7-year-old daughter Briar is undergoing chemotherapy for her leukemia, said the presence of Mealamu was appreciated.

The Foundation was a lifeline for families hit by their children's diagnosis and it was "nice to see [Mealamu] take the time to care", Mrs Miller said.

Cancer girl's brave little helpers

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5:00AM Saturday March 01, 2008
By Eugene Bingham

During her months of life-saving cancer treatment, Petra Hancock just wanted to be a normal kid.

Surrounded by doctors, nurses and her fearful parents, she was a 5-year-old child at the centre of a deadly serious adult world.

Fortunately, solace was never far away. It would come from her twin sister, Libby, who would sit on the Starship hospital bed with a comforting arm around her; or from her 6-year-old brother, Rory, who would lead her to play or paint.

"When she'd have all these adults around her prodding and poking, to have her brother and sister there made it okay for her to switch off and be a kid," Petra's father, Chris, of Whenuapai, said this week.

Petra, whose story appeared in the Weekend Herald in December, is the face of the Child Cancer Foundation annual appeal this month.

For Mr Hancock and his wife, Toni, one of the most important ways the foundation helped was to make them aware of the impact cancer has on siblings.

Research by a foundation volunteer has found that just as it was important for Petra and children like her to have siblings by their side, it was vital the siblings had support too.

The researcher, Rosie Dobson, said brothers and sisters of cancer patients should be made to feel included.

"Allowing them to come up to the hospital can give them a better understanding," she said. Miss Dobson, a research associate at Auckland University, found a mix of impacts during her research, which has been presented internationally.

"Some negative effects included high depressive symptoms and increased anxiety, but there were also some positives such as a feeling that it had brought the family closer together or taught them to be more patient.

"They can be scared about what's going to happen and there was a mention of jealousy."

Parents and other family members should acknowledge what the siblings were going through and that the experience is having a major impact on them too, she said. Mr Hancock said Petra's siblings suffered in their own way, sometimes struggling with the attention being focused on her.

It became particularly important to make sure Libby and Rory understood what was happening when Mrs Hancock's eldest brother died of cancer late last year, explaining that Petra's illness was different.

Petra, who also has a baby brother, Ned, and a 16-year-old half-brother, Josh, will undergo years of scans and check-ups but her cancer is in remission after a nine-month regime of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Her face began appearing on TV this week during advertising for the foundation's March 10-16 appeal.

www.childcancer.org.nz www.petrasbeads.co.nz

'Lucy's fighting back' - Michael Laws

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Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 24 February 2008

"It may not be a miracle yet but it's certainly headed in that direction." That's the word today from Wanganui mayor, broadcaster and Sunday Star-Times columnist Michael Laws after specialists radically revised the odds of survival for his three-year-old daughter, Lucy.

Lucy is fighting a rare combination of illnesses leukemia, pneumonia and a fungal infection on her lungs and doctors said 10 days ago they thought she would die. But Laws said that on Friday, the two specialists responsible for Lucy's care Mark Winstanley and Ruellyn Cockcroft said that tests had shown the toddler's outlook was improving.

Said Laws: "To quote Mark Winstanley: `We have results that we did not expect to see' and `the fungus is not behaving as it is meant to be'."

He said the aspergillus fungus did not appear as invasive or immediately fatal as it had looked a week ago. "The difference between last Wednesday's CT scan and this week's is dramatic," Laws said. "It appears to be in retreat and the great fear that it would honeycomb and permanently damage the lungs and create abcesses is retreating with it. She is not out of danger, but she is out of immediate danger. This is fantastic news."

The pneumonia, while still there, looked less harsh than last week and blood tests for the leukaemia suggested Lucy was heading towards remission. "All this means that our initial prognosis has been radically revised. Her odds of survival have gone from 10-20% to 50%-plus. In addition, she looks well and the steroids have ensured she eats well. We are not out of the woods and she is still fighting two life-threatening diseases but ... the odds are now Lucy's and not some statistical freak. Although, we ask ourselves, is Lucy already a statistical freak? Has she already evaded chance and an immediate fate? I think so. And given all the above, who is to say that both Starship's specialists and the power of prayer is not working? "Certainly, not me."

Odds improve for brave little Lucy

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5:00AM Sunday February 24, 2008

By Michelle Coursey

This picture of Lucy Laws eating spaghetti at Starship was posted on www.mayormichael.co.nz

Wanganui mayor Michael Laws says his dangerously ill daughter's chances of survival are improving but she's not safe yet.

Laws and his partner Leo Brookhammer have been keeping a bedside vigil for almost two weeks while 3-year-old Lucy fights leukaemia, a fungal disease and pneumonia. Yesterday he told the Herald on Sunday she was "not out of the woods".

But on Friday, he announced through his website that a CT scan, lumbar puncture, and bone marrow biopsy had raised Lucy's chances of survival "from 10-20 per cent to 50 per cent-plus". "It may not be a miracle yet... but it is certainly headed in that direction."

Wanganui-born Laws, who has been mayor of the city for four years, announced on February 11 he was taking indefinite leave.

He and Brookhammer flew to Auckland's Starship hospital where Lucy has been through a barrage of treatments and tests.

Laws has written regular updates on her condition on his website and posted pictures of her in hospital.e time/space continuum where nothing else happens except in this room, in this ward and in this hospital," Laws wrote on Tuesday.

"I've caught up with little outside news except that the Waiouru medals were returned and Wanganui has finally received some rain. That's good - Lucy's return to health could complete the trilogy."

Laws has also used the blog to thank people for their prayers for Lucy, and detailed visits by her godfather Norm Hewitt and Wanganui deputy mayor Dot McKinnon.

"Leo and I are very tired now," Laws wrote last Thursday, after a CT scan showed the aspergillus fungal infection was not as prominent as the previous week.

"We're in a war - like all the parents on this ward. Tomorrow will be another battle, another skirmish, another fight and so will the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that. Our little girl is the principal combatant, we are the support staff."

Photos of Lucy show her eating and watching a movie in a room decorated with toys, pictures and bright blankets, with Laws calling her a "brave, spunky little girl".

Tests on Thursday showed that Lucy's leukaemia was easing and while the acute pneumonia was still present, it was looking "less harsh than last week".

"In addition, she looks well and the steroids have ensured she eats well. We are not out of the woods and she is still fighting two life-threatening diseases but... but the odds are now Lucy's and not some statistical freak."

McKinnon, who has been acting mayor since Laws went on leave, told the Herald on Sunday she was amazed at the number of well-wishers in Wanganui.

"People all want to know how she is... everywhere I go people are asking. The community has really rallied around for this."

She said Laws and Brookhammer seemed to be "taking turns at being strong", and Laws rang her and his personal assistant daily to update them on Lucy's status.

Every day a prayer meeting was held for Lucy and people were writing messages on a scroll, hoping for further improvement. "Let's hope it continues," she said.

Laws' golden girl needs a 'miracle'

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8:30AM Tuesday February 19, 2008
By Simon Woods

Michael Laws. Photo / Kenny Rodger

Michael Laws says it will be a "miracle" if his critically ill three-year-old daughter Lucy survives.

Mr Laws took indefinite leave from his Wanganui mayoralty after Lucy was taken to Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital on February 10.

Lucy is suffering from a rare combination of leukaemia and fungal disease aspergillosis and her chances of survival are rated slim at best.

"There is a 10 per cent chance of her pulling through, and the danger is now," Mr Laws said yesterday.

"If she can get to the end of this month, we will be a little bit better."

Mr Laws said there was little he or his partner, Leonie Brookhammer, could do to help Lucy, except spend as much time with her as possible.

He said support from people around the country had kept their spirits high.

"To all the people who sent us messages or cards, thank you. They really do work for us at this time in our lives.

"They've had a significant impact on our morale."

Messages of support had poured in steadily from Wanganui residents of all walks of life, including Lucy's friends at Busy Bee Preschool.

"People in Wanganui have been so good to us."

Meanwhile, Lucy's health continues to vary, although Mr Laws said she was looking slightly happier yesterday.

"It's incredible. If you were to look at her now, you might not think anything's wrong."

But her condition is serious.

Lucy's doctors know of only one other example of a child suffering from leukaemia and the specific fungal infection, aspergillosis, at the same time.

"The treatment is experimental. Usually they treat either the leukaemia or the fungus but they can't afford to choose one because they're both life-threatening. They need to treat both at the same time," Mr Laws said.

"She couldn't contract anything simple, she had to go and contract one of the rarest combinations out there."

Lucy has been prescribed at least half a dozen different drugs, including steroids, to fight the leukaemia, and is getting regular blood transfusions.

"She had literally no white blood cells."

Compounding the situation, Lucy's younger sister Zoe had unknowingly been in contact with someone suffering from chicken pox.

This means Lucy will not be able to see her for two weeks, because of the risk of infection.

"It makes things hard because they're very, very, very close," Mr Laws said.

And Lucy herself has no idea how serious things are.

"She thinks she's just not well and she's in hospital. We haven't really spoken to her about what's happening.

"We need a miracle, and I ask for people to pray for Lucy. She's my golden girl and ever since she's appeared she's been the light in my life."

Mr Laws has previously been involved in raising money for cancer research, selecting the Cancer Society as his chosen charity when taking part in the Dancing With The Stars television show last year.

- WANGANUI CHRONICLE, with NZPA

Michael Laws' daughter diagnosed with leukaemia

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NZPA | Tuesday, 12 February 2008

The three-year-old daughter of Wanganui mayor Michael Laws has been diagnosed with leukaemia and is also suffering from acute pneumonia.

Mr Laws announced yesterday he was taking indefinite leave as his daughter Lucy had been flown to Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland on Sunday.

After media and public inquiries Mr Laws today gave details of Lucy's illness.

In a statement he thanked all well wishers for their kind thoughts and prayers.

Mr Laws expected to return to Wanganui early next week, but his partner Leonie and Lucy would remain in Auckland much longer.

The couple asked that there be no more media inquiries as they dedicated their energy to supporting their children and making Lucy well.

Due to infection risk he asked that no further flowers be sent to Lucy.

Mr Laws has previously been involved in raising money for cancer research, selecting the Cancer Society as his chosen charity when taking part in the Dancing With The Stars television show last year.

- NZPA