Gutsy Tiana’s flying high
Feilding’s Gray family have already travelled thousands of kilometres between home and Auckland seeking specialist medical help for daughter and sister Tiana.
First there was the battle with a rare bone condition when she was a baby, which eventually led to amputation of her lower leg.
Then there was the liver cancer, and in all, they spent 154 nights at Ronald Mcdonald House to be near her in hospital.
Now, they have a modest goal of travelling 400 kilometres in March, under their own steam, to raise as much money as they can in the House to House Appeal.
Tiana’s mother Jo said she could not imagine how the family would have coped without being able to stay at Ronald Mcdonald House while Tiana was in hospital.
The little girl was 1 when they became regular visitors to Starship children’s hospital while Tiana had surgery to mend her tibia.
But after several operations, the bone still would not heal, and Jo and dad Jamie made the heartwrenching decision to amputate.
‘‘We thought we would not see it [Ronald Mcdonald House] again, but five months later, she was diagnosed with liver cancer, and we were tripping back and forth again.’’
It involved a lot of visits to Auckland, mostly as a family, and eventually, there was a positive outcome for Tiana.
Now 8, she has been in remission for five years, and is bright, energetic and into sport and athletics. ‘‘There is no stopping this kid,’’ said Jo, as Tiana scooted past the window, her prosthetic leg high in the air.
The House to House appeal has been set up to help support the 3700 families who stay at the house each year.
It uses the travel theme to represent the more than 100,000km a month New Zealand families travel to be with sick children having hospital treatment away from home.
It challenges participants to travel 210km during the month, seeking sponsorship to raise the $210 it costs to support a family for one night’s accommodation, a welcome pack and meal kit.
The Grays have set their goal higher, planning a 400km target between them. They already have pledges of more than $800.