J
2463 days ago

Please help my granddaughter

Judy from Narrow Neck

Hello

As a concerned grandparent, I have been on a mission for the last month to get as many people as possible to sign the above petition - for funding a miracle drug, Spinraza, for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in New Zealand.

SMA is the childhood version of Motor Neurone Disease and is the leading genetic killer of children under 2. One in every 10,000 babies born have SMA - and there are approximately 25 of these children in New Zealand. 

My granddaughter, Natalie, was brought up in Kiwi Road and Seacliffe Avenue, went to Belmont and Bayswater Kindy and Vauxhall School. She has SMA and is currently living in Australia, where they started funding the drug last year. She finished the loading doses just before Christmas, and she is now able to do small things like lifting a cup, which she couldn’t do previously. More importantly, if continued, it will give her a normal lifespan.

Natalie wishes to return to New Zealand to study engineering at Auckland University but SPINRAZA IS NOT FUNDED IN NEW ZEALAND. If Pharmac don’t agree to start funding it in the next 18 months, Natalie will not be able to return without literally risking her life.

This is not for a drug we hope will work... it’s a drug that is proven to work. I am not asking you to do this just for Natalie. It is vital for the SMA community as a whole that funding is granted urgently. Miracles have been happening to children in America, Australia and most of Europe. 

If you could take 2 minutes to sign the petition, I would be extremely grateful, and it would be a massive help if you could share this with others. We have until the 9th of April to get as many signatures as possible! 

www.parliament.nz...

Thank you

Judy Lawrence

Image
More messages from your neighbours
10 days ago

Poll: 🗑️ Would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Aucklanders, our weekly rubbish collections are staying after councillors voted to scrap a proposed trial of fortnightly pick-ups.

We want to hear from you: would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?

Keen for the details? Read up about the scrapped collection trial here.

Image
🗑️ Would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
  • 85% Same!
    85% Complete
  • 15% Would have liked to try something different
    15% Complete
506 votes
7 days ago

Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!

Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?

Image
Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
  • 78.7% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
    78.7% Complete
  • 21.3% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
    21.3% Complete
1214 votes
5 days ago

Today’s Mind-Bender is the Last of the Year! Can You Guess It Before Everyone Else? 🌟🎁🌲

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I dance in the sky with green and gold, a spectacle few are lucky to behold; I’m best seen in the south, a celestial sight—what am I, lighting up the New Zealand night?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.

Image