The lead story in yesterday's Herald sparked a lot of emotion in the BRAVEday office. We are all busy, and sometimes it is easy to take for granted the intangible things in life, like good health.
Jared Noel has been fighting bowel cancer for nearly five years, undergoing over 60 chemo treatments. Despite knowing that the cancer would eventually win, he and his wife decided to try for a baby, in the hope that he would live long enough to experience the first part of his child's life.
Unfortunately, the couple have recently been given the news that Jared's cancer has spread, and without more chemo, he is unlikely to survive past Christmas. The couple could not fund the drug Avastin, which may slow the growth of the tumours enough to extend his life expectancy beyond the birth of his daughter next January - though it will not cure him. Ten courses of the medicine (which is not funded by Pharmac) costs $60,000.
During this journey, Jared has written "The Boredom Blog" which is an open, honest account of his life while fighting this disease. It is his latest entry though (24th October) that really highlights the generosity and compassion of the New Zealand public.
The couple allowed a friend to set up a page on fundraising site Givealittle appealing for the $60,000. The page went live at 3pm on Tuesday and within seven hours it had raised the money to cover the ten courses. In the past 48 hours, they have raised over $150,000.
So before you head away on your long Labour Weekend - stop and take a breath, reflect on the positives in your life, and Givealittle. When you give even a small amount; it could mean a huge difference to someone else's life.
