Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ
Stacey Millen is quitting smoking to try and raise money for her daughter, Elizabeth, who is having an operation in the US next year to help her walk.
Stacey Millen is looking for four people to give up smoking with her to help raise money for an operation to help her daughter walk.
Tui Ora is running a 12 week WERO quit smoking challenge, an initiative that registers crews of five to quit smoking for the chance to win $3500 cash for a community group or charity. There was also the opportunity to win individual or cash prizes.
Millen's daughter Elizabeth, who is nearly 3, has cerebral palsy and needs $120,000 for an operation in the USA that will enable her to walk.
Millen, who smokes between 10 and 15 cigarettes a day, has been a smoker for more than 15 years, but gave up while she was pregnant, she said.
"But the stress of Elizabeth being in the neo natal unit and ending up with meningitis - it was very dicey the first couple of weeks, so unfortunately I started smoking again. It was the relief I shouldn't have had."
None of Millen's friends smoke, so she's looking for four people to join her to try and win the prizemoney.
"Obviously Tui Ora have the complete wrap around service to help you give up smoking, smoke cessation professionals to help out. You have to go cold turkey and they test you with a CO2 sensor to make sure your carbon dioxide levels are below certain level, which means you can't cheat."
She is nervous, but said she won't fail, because it was for Elizabeth.
"It's a scary prospect giving up something you've been using as your crutch for so long."
So far the family has raised $33,000 towards Elizabeth's operation - Givealittle - Legs for Elizabubble
"We need $100,000 for the operation and airfares. We're trying to raise $120,000 because she is going to need physio every day when we get back for six months, then it steps down after that. There will be a lot of really intense physio and unfortunately private physio costs about $90 an hour. It's a large expense."
Elizabeth's condition was marked by impaired muscle co-ordination, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth.
A procedure called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) was available at St Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri and would improve Elizabeth's balance and allow her to walk, she said.
"She's going in August and we need to pay the operation costs two months before we go. Elizabeth's spasticity is extremely high and it is slowly deforming her knees and her hips and it if we don't get it fixed soon we'll end up with her requiring replacement hips and knee surgery."
It was "extremely frustrating" Elizabeth couldn't have the operation in New Zealand, Millen said.
"What's frustrated me the most is lifelong care for Elizabeth, without the operation, will require hip operations and numerous other surgeries and she'll end up in a wheelchair by the time she is 10. It will cost $1 million by time the time she is 25 or 30. So, when you think about it, it is in the best interest of the government to fund it."
Millen said the operation would mean Elizabeth could one day walk a marathon.
"If I have to hold a cake stall for the next 30 weeks I'll do that. Who wouldn't want to get her walking?"
For more information about the WERO challenge contact Carla Adlam on 06 759 4064 ext 6035.
- Stuff
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