Update from the South - Summer 2024

Wow it has been another big year, 2024 has just flown by!
There has been a lot going on down in the South Island this year with the Foundation and it has been great to continue to support families when needed and get to know you and your journey’s better along the way.

It was also great to see so many Christchurch families attending conference in Auckland recently.

We have had four main events this year in Christchurch; Orana Park, Despicable Me 4 movie event, Airforce Museum and our end of year Christmas Party! These have all had great attendance and I would encourage everyone to continue to come along as it is a fantastic time to catch up with support staff and other families. The children always have a ball as well!

We have also been having regular Boatshed lunches when the Auckland Starship liver team fly down, however please know that attendance is not limited to patients that have appointments, everyone is welcome, and I would love to see you there.

We have had two fantastic Amazeballs workshops for the children, these were also very well attended, and the children get so much out of coming, they absolutely love Debbie and catching up with each other. The children have created some special friendships which is amazing to witness flourish and grow as they support each other and know they are not alone in their journeys. Which is what IDFNZ is all about, creating connections and support for our children, adult members, siblings and families which is fantastic to be a part of.

As always, the Christmas event was a great hit with the children having so much fun on the bouncy castle and watching the magic show! I would just like to say a massive thank you to the High School Old Boys Rugby Club for donating the venue for our party, Silly Billy HQ (Billy & Tina) for donating their services (the show, balloons, bouncy castle and candy floss!), Original Foods Ltd for donating some yummy, sweet treats and Makikihi Fries for donating the hot chippies!

This year has also brought about our first ever Southland Christmas Party! While it was a smaller event it was great that we could offer it to our lower South Island families that miss out on attending our Christchurch events. The children had a fantastic time on the trampolines and then racing around the laser tag, the adults even joint in the laser tag and had a ball!

As we move forward into 2025, we will continue to have regular member events to encourage our families to get together, support each other and allow the kids to have a great time!

As always, I am always available for support, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you need to talk, end up in hospital (we do not get notified so we do not know unless you tell us) or just need to vent! I wish you all a happy and healthy Christmas and New Years and look forward to seeing you all in 2025!

Danielle.