Help Donna get her life back

In the last 5 years Donna has beaten breast cancer but has developed a debilitating mast cell disease which can trigger allergic reactions to just about anything.

Not only has she experienced episodes of life threatening anaphylactic shock, she has also suffered significant side effects from this condition resulting in 20 hospital admissions in the last 2 years and it has progressively got worse.

She has developed severe diabetes which means that she has to inject insulin multiple times a day. Because she takes so many steroids her skin has become paper thin and that the slightest injury or pressure on her skin results in further allergic reactions causing bruising, swelling and inflammation She hasn't had a full night's sleep in over 2 years but struggles to use the CPAP machine because of her fragile skin and an allergic reaction to that.

She often breaks out in massive rashes all over her body that result in uncontrollable itching and swelling in her lips and eyes from angioedema

She suffers from severe fatigue and this impacts on her ability to work all the while trying to maintain some kind of a normal life.

She has tried a number of medications with no success however there is one option left to her but that medication is not funded. There is a really good success rate in others that have used this drug but unfortunately it is not readily available in NZ nor is it funded. Treatment is required monthly for the rest of Donna's life at a cost of $1400 per treatment monthly. Donna's first dose was successful and now she is due for her next dose which is now ongoing on the 20th of each month.

Donna lives in Palmerston North but the treatment must be administered in Wellington initially so we'll also need help to pay for travel and accommodation in Wellington.

Funds raised will be used to cover the cost of the first few treatments and if they are successful then we will be lobbying to get this medication funded long term.