In Touch - Winter Edition 2026

We trust you are all keeping warm as the days shorten and temperatures drop as we transition into winter.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Liver transplant conference last month. It was a great day with lots of information, excellent presentations, and a wonderful opportunity to gather.  It was heartening to see such an enthusiastic turnout.

     Many thanks to our medical speakers for giving their time and to our courageous patient speakers for sharing their medical journey.

     For those who were unable to attend, we will post videos of the key talks online over the coming month as part of our Beware Yellow awareness campaign. This edition of the newsletter also contains some of the patient stories shared.

     Other resources shared at the conference included the new transition books, aimed at families with teenagers approaching the age when they move from child to adult care. The book is aimed at the whole family and addresses the challenge of navigating these significant changes. This is the third in a series of lifestyle books that identify specific challenges at various phases of life for our patient members – childhood, teenage/young adult years, and adult life. These resources are intended to support mental health by providing practical tips and advice for patients and their families. We encourage you to request free copies of our books by emailing office@idfnz.org.nz.

     Our Youth workshops also started up last month, held in Auckland and Christchurch. These are highly recommended for young patients and their siblings (ages 5-18). Register now for the October workshops.

    We are also planning our Christmas events for November – registration forms are enclosed. We encourage you to RSVP early.

     During June, we raise awareness of childhood liver disease and invite member families to participate in our online posts, consider hosting a school ‘yellow’ day, and generally spread the word about the early warning signs. We also have family days coming up in Auckland and Christchurch. We look forward to seeing you there!

Dates For Your Diaries:

• Sunday 7^th June Inflatable World (Beware Yellow), Christchurch
• Saturday, 20^th June (Beware Yellow)– Auckland Zoo
• Friday, 21st August 2026 Craft N Chat, Auckland
• Sunday 30^th August, Clip n Climb, Christchurch
• Saturday 5th September, Razz, Wellington
• Saturday 12th September, Razz, Christchurch.
• Saturday 19th September, Razz, Auckland
• Thursday 17^th September, AGM
• Friday 2^nd October, Patient Meetup, Palmerston North
• Friday 2^nd October, Youth Workshop Christchurch
• Friday, 9th October 2026 Youth Workshop, Auckland
• Friday, 20th November 2026 Craft N Chat

Registration forms for all events are available from office@idfnz.org.nz, copies enclosed in this newsletter. Please RSVP.