Inside this issue: Life Changing Illness cont..
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Rolleston Lions
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Merry Xmas from Nicola Grigg
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Merry Xmas from Jan Thomas
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Merry Xmas from Sam Broughton
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Police Update
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Rolleston Men’s Shed
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Merry Xmas from Councillors
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The Big Feed
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Fire Brigade Update
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Book Spiderban Before Xmas
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Selwyn Community Care
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Selwyn Motor Fest
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Garden Competition Results
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Public Notices
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Classifieds
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Trades
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Email Column
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Local Rolleston girl, Mea Richards was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia in July after being admitted to hospital with influenza. The diagnosis was determined after five weeks of testing and a bone marrow aspiration. The preferred treatment option is a bone marrow transplant, unfortunately there are no suitable matches on the international database, and her sibling, dad (Ray) or mum (Nicole) weren't matches either. There are 42 million people on the international registry, of that five, had initial matches with Mea, with further testing showing they were not a high enough match. Recently the family held a Donor Drive at the Hornby Working Men’s Club to try and find a suitable match for Mea. The number of people that attended exceeded the family’s expectations, with 220 amazing people being swabbed and another 55 samples that were sent away later. “Both Ray and I were blown away by the generosity of the
people that showed up on the day, at least half didn't know me or Ray personally,” commented Nicole Richards. “We urge anyone willing to donate between the preferred age bracket (18-35 years old) to pop into their local blood bank and ask to go on the registry. “Recently, Mea started yet another treatment called Immunosuppressant Therapy, with a drug called ATG, which included a fourteen day stay in the Child Haematology and Oncology Centre (CHOC). This treatment is six months long, with another bone marrow aspiration due at around one hundred days. “Mea is like any other eight year old, she has a caring, bubbly personality and just wants to continue life as normal and she misses her friends and school, she also misses home when we are in CHOC. She has endured so much in the past five months, more than any child should have to, her dad and I are so proud of how she is coping with it all. She recently had to have a second
ISSUE 205 Wednesday 7th December 2022
Hickman Line put in as her first one only lasted three weeks as it ended up infected, during this process she has mentioned more than once 'I don't want this
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stupid disease', the only real complaint that has come from her,” continued Nicole.
Mea Richards.
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