Support Maara Toleafoa.... Fundraising for Herceptin: GO Maara Lunch Raffle

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

GO Maara Lunch Raffle

GO Maara Lunch Raffle
A fabulous basket of ladies cosmetics and beauty products valued at over $1000 will be raffled at the lunch.

Tickets cost $5 each or buy three for $10.
Purchase a tickets by emailing junior.toleafoa@orcon.net.nz or buy one at the luncheon.

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It's a big target but with your help we can do this.....

Welcome to the "Support Maara" Blog. This blog has been set up as an aid to help raise the $93,000 (New Zealand Dollars) needed to fund a 12 month course of the drug Herceptin. Please keep checking back regularly to this site to offer support, ideas, prayers.... and most importantly $$$$$$.

Over the next three months we will be running several charity actions, events, raffles in an aim to achieve the $93,000 to fund Maara's treatment. Please feel free to send your friends and family this link so they too can offer support.

Along with the many events we will be organising you can at anytime make a donation at the ASB Bank using the following bank account number:

12-3205-0037935-00J.M.Toleafoa

International & Credit Card donations can be made by using Paypal http://www.paypal.com/ and using the supportmaara@ihug.co.nz email address to send funds.

Thank you so much for your support

Message from Junior & Maara

A few weeks ago Maara and I were focussing on a new career move for her. It was a big deal because it involved leaving a job of 20 years to start afresh with a newly formed travel agency.

As this was happening a friend of friend, Tracey, was taking advantage of a free mammogram. This was something Maara knew she should also do but for now it carried about as much importance as a warrant of fitness for your car. Within days we learnt Tracey’s mammogram results had detected a cancer and immediate surgery was required. Although we were not close friends of Tracey’s at that time, we felt our hearts go out to her. We knew the situation was serious for Tracey and her family. Suddenly the necessity for a mammogram assumed its rightful place of importance in our lives. Maara made the appointment and from here breast cancer formally became part of us. Our weeks of toil over her new job opportunity seemed like such an insignificance. In fact a number of our priorities were redirected to the recycle bin.

From what I can see Maara chooses to be annoyed about having the “inconvenience” of an illness rather than being consumed by the more extreme negatives attached to cancer. There’s no blame levelled at anyone or anything and definitely no self pity. She’s motivated to keep her life as close to normal as possible and this is her way of doing that. With the mastectomy done, the next few months of treatment are simply an extension of that “inconvenience” and something to be endured if you want to beat cancer. I’m not sure if faced with an aggressive disease like this, if I would have the same courage and fight in me.

I watched Maara sleeping the other day and wondered why she was dealt this hand. Anyone who has had contact with her knows what I mean. She has such a beautiful and faithful spirit that people warm to her so easily. She’s a loving wife and a fabulous mum. With the help of God, friends, family and a team of medical experts we see the odds of taming our unwelcomed visitor as heavily stacked in our favour.Already we have experienced overwhelming kindness and comfort from people who know our plight. I’m not quite sure how I will ever repay them.

Our children, Lahaina and Stuey, have been dealing with this situation in different ways. Lahaina, outwardly the cool customer, but inwardly deeply concerned. Every night Stuey petitions God to remove the cancer disease from his mum. He says that prayer with such faith and conviction that I believe God will not ignore him.

It is a journey we are experiencing (please pardon the cliché). Along the way there will be some difficult parts to negotiate and we will confront them as they happen. We expect there will be people we will come across who will sustain through us the different stages and we thank them in advance. We are confident the journey has a positive end

About Maara....

Maara is a beautiful 41 year old mother of two small children. Four short weeks ago she was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of breast cancer.

After a mastectomy Maara is recovering well and getting ready to face a 6 month course of Chemotherapy along with 6 weeks of radio therapy. As Maara's cancer has spread to her lymph nodes her treatment will be aggressive and along with the chemo and the radio she will need a 12 month course of a drug called Herceptin.

Herceptin has been hailed as the new "wonder drug'. This will give Maraa the best chance at fighting this disease but it comes at a cost. The government will only fund 9 weeks of Herceptin and worldwide (except here in New Zealand!) a 12 month course is recommended.... so this is where you come in.......

We will be fundraising for Maara and her family to find the $93,000 needed to give her the drugs she needs. Further information on how you can help will be posted on this blog over the next few days and weeks.

For further information or if you would like to offer assistance you can email me on supportmaara@ihug.co.nz

If you would like to make a donation through paypal please you can do this by using the supportmaara@ihug.co.nz email address.

Support Maara Toleafoa.... Fundraising for Herceptin

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

GO Maara Lunch Raffle

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The Family

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It's a big target but with your help we can do this.....

Message from Junior & Maara

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