Manawatu¯ gives a lot with Givealittle

Helping people fight cancer and boosting their morale – Givealittle can mean a lot to a family in need.

For the family of Palmerston North nurse Kelly Mcnabb, it meant they could afford an unsubsidised cancer drug, and buy more precious time together before she died.

The extra time meant Kelly Mcnabb was able to record bedtime stories, Christmas and birthday messages, as well as write years’ worth of Christmas and birthday cards for her kids.

Her husband Brendon Mcnabb said they wanted to ensure their sons Daniel and Jacob would remember what their mum looked and sounded like, and she could be a part of their lives for years to come.

Since the crowd-funding site started in December 2008, Givealittle has raised more than $1.6 million in Manawatu¯ / Whanganui, and the top five most successful campaigns brought in $279,156 to help families pay for their loved ones’ cancer treatments.

The Mcnabbs’ appeal, which raised $100,760 between August 2015 and April 2016, was the region’s most successful page. The second highest raised $67,116 for Jonty James Clare, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, when he was just 11 weeks old.

Brendon Mcnabb said the support from friends, family and strangers had been worth its weight in gold.

Kelly Mcnabb had undergone three surgeries, chemotherapy, and two courses of radiotherapy as she battled terminal cancer.

Givealittle allowed her to receive the unfunded drug Avastin, at a cost of $7885 per fortnightly dose.

It meant the family met most of their short-term goals – the ICU nurse made it past her 37th birthday, and through Christmas, but died just days short of her youngest son Jacob’s 3rd birthday in 2016.

Before she died, Kelly Mcnabb spearheaded a campaign to Pharmac seeking public funding for Avastin, so others could benefit from the potentially life-saving drug. The drug remains unfunded.

A little over a year later, Tina Patching, a 46-year-old Feilding teacher, was also counting on Avastin to fight off her cancer.

Her ongoing Givealittle campaign to pay for the drug was the third most successful in the region, raising $42,376 so far.

Patching was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016, and surgery to remove the tumour also took her womb and her ovaries.

She was told the surgery had a 90 per cent chance of stopping the cancer, but only months later it had spread to her bowel and liver.

All other treatments were failing, so on advice from her oncologist she turned to Avastin, which has had promising results so far.

But paying for the treatment on their own would have stretched the family’s finances to the limit.

Without health insurance, they were planning to take out a second mortgage to pay for the treatment, but a group of friends convinced Patching to try Givealittle.

‘‘It was a hard pill to swallow because we’re not takers... [but] I have three daughters and a loving husband. I’ve got everything to live for.

‘‘I can never think it’s going to beat me. I’m going to be a success story.’’

She planned to give whatever was left over from her campaign to other Givealittle causes – Patching has already made a few small donations to other patients she met in hospital.

‘‘And I’ll do even more when I’m better.’’

"I can never think [cancer's] going to beat me. I'm going to be a success story." Tina Patching