‘I feel so loved right now’

Tears of gratitude were shed after the public raised the $250,000 needed to get a woman’s life-changing facial reconstruction under way.

The outpouring of support means that, after 18 years, Brittany Kremers will finally get the surgery she needs to live a normal life.

Sick with pancreatitis, the Christchurch woman was stunned to wake up to find out the funds had been raised. ‘‘Wow . . . It’s absolutely insane . . . I don’t even know what to say.’’

Kremers wanted to thank every person who had made her dream come true, as did her mum, Dawn. ‘‘I’m in tears,’’ Dawn admitted.

The good news came at a time when Kremers had been feeling down and had withdrawn inside her home because she believed the surgery would never happen. Now, she is on top of the world. ‘‘I just feel so loved right now.’’

About to call the Auckland hospital where Kremers will have the surgery to give them the news, Dawn was confident her daughter would be operated on by the start of September.

Dawn hoped the surgery could happen not long after Kremers’ 26th birthday on August 22, as she wanted to make the day extra special.

Kremers, now 25, first told her story in December last year about how a lifethreatening tumour marred her childhood after she had her jaw and skull base removed.

At the time, she had just suffered another setback: The Canterbury District Health Board told her there was no funding available for prosthetic facial reconstruction, despite Kremers wearing a metal brace on her face for 14 months in preparation.

The decision was devastating for the young woman, who was forced to fundraise for private surgery.

The Kremers did not know exactly how much the surgery would cost, but after meeting with the surgeon they discovered it was far more than they had estimated.

Nearly $170,000 was raised on a Givealittle webpage late last year, but it was eventually determined that the amount needed would be about $250,000, leaving Kremers worried surgery would never happen.

However, in just six hours generous New Zealanders raised the further $80,000 the family needed.

About $12,500 or 5% of the total raised will go back to Givealittle in fees.

Auckland head-and-neck surgeon Muammar Abu-Serriah had given Kremers hope that the surgery may help her drink and eat again, and allow her to ditch the syringe she used to ingest liquids.

He intended to straighten the left side of her jaw to align it with the centre, take a bone from her lower leg to make a jaw, and secure it with a titanium joint to her skull base.

As with all surgery, there would be risks, which Kremers tried not to focus on. A veteran of more than 100 hospital admissions and many painful surgeries, she refused to let herself think about what life might be like if the surgery was successful.

She learnt long ago to manage expectations but admitted she had thought about some things she longed to do: the first kiss with her boyfriend, leaving the house without feeling selfconscious, and drinking from a coffee cup without dribbling down her chin.

Now all possibilities are on the table for the young woman who just wants a chance to be like everybody else. And it’s something she’s still finding hard to believe.

‘‘I don’t know if I want to dance around in my pyjamas or just cry because it’s finally achievable.’’

‘‘I don’t know if I want to dance around in my pyjamas or just cry . . .’’ Brittany Kremers