TOTARATALK JUNE 2016
your connection to Hospice tou hononga ki Hospice
LIVING LIFE WITH ADRENALINE! Are you up for a challenge?
Simply raise $1200 for Totara Hospice and in return you get to take on three of the Ultimate Auckland Adrenaline Experiences for FREE!
their families with life-limiting illnesses whilst also adopting the Hospice ethos of “Living Every Moment.”
Join the Hospice Adrenaline Angels team and experience some of the most exhilarating moments of your life - and you will be helping individuals and
The challenge includes a Bungy Jump off Auckland Harbour Bridge, a Sky Tower SkyJump and a Skydive from 13000 ft up in the air!
DIVING HEAD FIRST OFF AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE
BRAVING THE LEAP OFF AUCKLAND’S TALLEST BUILDING
If this sounds like your idea of the experience of a lifetime, then take the challenge and become a Totara Hospice Adrenaline Angel! Visit www.hospice.co.nz/adrenalineangel for more details, or contact Katherine on 09 640 0255.
JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE & FREEFALLING AT 200KM/HR FOR 45 SECS
SIMON GAULT IMPRESSES THE LADIES
REVVED UP TO HELP
An afternoon to remember for nearly 400 ladies, who enjoyed a Moroccan themed three-course lunch and a cooking demonstration by celebrity chef Simon Gault. With everyone’s support on the day a fabulous $25,000 was raised for your Hospice.
For Matthew Newman – a passionate South Auckland local – throwing the support of his company behind the popular Ladies’ Lunch fundraiser for Totara Hospice is a way of strengthening a community he loves to call home. vocation and giving – giving of their The CEO of South Auckland Motors, energy, their talent, their love and care. Matthew is preparing to mark his 30th And that’s just such an admirable anniversary with the company, after mindset that you can’t help but be starting as a dealer in 1986 (moving to inspired by it.” South Auckland from Canterbury, where he grew up) and being He says the sponsorship is also a way appointed Chief Executive in 1991. for his company to strengthen its ties Matthew says South Auckland and its with the community. “I just think that people are now part of who he is. “It’s doing good things leads to good an incredible community,” he reflects, things. In our business we are blessed “and we at South Auckland Motors to be well established and profitable… really like seeing ourselves as part of therefore, my feeling is that if we are in that community – drawing sustenance a position to help, then we should roll from it and giving back to it.” our sleeves up and we should help. It’s not so much a responsibility as just Part of that giving back saw Matthew doing the right thing.” jump at the chance to sponsor the Ladies’ Lunch in 2015, a highlight on While he acknowledges the the Hospice’s fundraising calendar. commercial returns from sponsorship Such was its success that he are difficult to measure, he says it is re-signed for 2016, the biggest event more about the intangible results. yet, with nearly 400 women gathering “What we do know is that we’re for a special lunch on May 6th, which supporting a worthy cause, and being raised over $25,000 for Totara associated with a worthy cause also Hospice. helps our image and reputation in our
For the first time, a fashion show showcasing both designer and high street fashion from our hospice shops was an event highlight, our 15 models consisted of hospice staff, including doctors, nurses and counsellors.
The lunch was personal and unpretentious, with key support from our local community: students from The Gardens School Manurewa and Alfriston College as well as our amazing Youth Ambassadors.
Thank you to everyone who attended and we hope to see you next year on Friday 5 May 2017!
We could not hold this event without our amazing sponsors so a huge thank you to the following supporters for Making Hospice Happen
.co.nz
Matthew is delighted with the partnership and sees it continuing for many years to come. “The sort of work people in Hospice do is a very pure form of vocation, as distinct from ‘work’,” he says. “The nurses, the medical staff, the kitchen and admin staff are driven by a great sense of
community among a lot of good people in a variety of walks of life; it becomes quite a mutually sustaining relationship.
“Our staff are aware of what we do and they know they’re working for a good company that does good things and that gives them a sense of pride.”
My feeling is that if we are in a position to help, then we should roll our sleeves up and we should help. It’s not so much a responsibility as just doing the right thing.
Totara Talk - your connection to Hospice // 01
A HELPING HAND For many people, awareness of hospice and its work happens after it touches their lives in some way, usually through the passing of a loved one. But for Sarah Beardsley, Totara Hospice became part of her life after she moved to South Auckland and found herself driving past it each day. “I kept seeing the sign on Charles Prevost Drive and thinking to myself, ‘I should do something’,” she says. “Instead of another night sitting at home I could actually be doing something useful. So I looked online and got in touch with them.”
Having arrived in New Zealand from the UK just two years ago, Sarah has found the cultural differences striking. “Certainly, in the UK and for a lot of Westerners, they fear death and it’s not talked about. Whereas in the island communities here, death is just another part of life… to come into the hospice sometimes and hear them singing is really moving. And seeing how many family members crowd around, because that’s tradition… I find it really quite lovely. It’s really changed my perspective on death.” Sarah has been so moved by the work
enjoy getting my family and colleagues involved with so I thought to myself, ‘I can do better than $500!’ She and Andy created a Givealittle page and each of them asked their colleagues for support. “So many people came forward at work and said ‘I never realised you worked at hospice, my mother/sister/father/ uncle/brother was at hospice at the end and they just do such fantastic work.’ We had people that I’d never met being very generous with their donations. It was really touching that people, without hesitation, put their
It was really touching that people, without hesitation, put their hands in their pockets... For the past year, Sarah has spent her Sunday evenings volunteering in the Inpatient Unit (IPU) at Totara Hospice where she helps to prepare meals, take around the drinks trolley and simply be there for those in need. She admits it was difficult at first. “I’d never really seen people at the end of life like that, so it was a steep learning curve. But it does make me feel like hopefully I’m putting a smile on someone’s face and making their day a bit easier. I also like helping the families too, because it’s such a tough time for them.”
done at Hospice that she has also become a keen fundraiser, which is so essential to sustaining its operations. She and partner Andy signed up for the Sunrise Walk in the Botanic Gardens (held in April) and were quick to become Hospice Sunrise Angels – an initiative launched this year in which individuals, groups or corporates commit to raising a minimum of $500 for Hospice. “I’ve done fundraising before,” says Sarah, “and it’s something that I really
hands in their pockets.” Between them the couple raised more than $1200. Sarah continues to volunteer and fundraise for Hospice and says she feels really good about the work she is doing. “These people need 100 per cent from you. If you give your all, you’ll get it back. It’s a really rewarding job.” Find out how you can help to fundraise for Totara Hospice by calling Katherine Trotter on 09 640 0255.
Sarah Beardsley and partner Andy at the Sunrise Walk 2016
YOUR COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER The Sunrise Walk for Hospice was once again an amazing success. Over 1000 members of our community - patients, friends, family, volunteers, staff, corporate supporters and school students - gathered to help raise more than $30,000 for Totara Hospice. A BIG thank you to our great event sponsors who continue to ensure Sunrise Walk is a place for our community to get together and share a morning of remembrance for their loved ones.
UPCOMING EVENTS & CAMPAIGNS - Save the dates TOTARA HOSPICE HOSTED EVENTS: HOSPICE ADRENALINE ANGEL
Ongoing If you are keen to push your boundaries and take on this once in a lifetime challenge, please email your interest to Katherine.trotter@hospice.co.nz or call on 09 640 0255
LONG LUNCH FOR HOSPICE An Italian Affair
Sunday 16th October 2016 For further information or to book tickets email: katherine.trotter@hospice.co.nz or 09 640 0255”
YOUTH AMBASSADORS CAREERS DAY
Wednesday 27th July 2016 Totara Hospice South Auckland Our youth ambassadors and local student leaders get to meet and listen to a vast range of special guests with unique and inspiring careers.
AUCKLAND MARATHON
Sunday 30th October 2016 Register as a Golden Runner and raise funds for Hospice, email katherine.trotter@hospice.co.nz or call 09 640 025
THIRD PARTY HOSTED EVENTS: WINE MAKERS’ LUNCH With Lynda Hallinan
Sunday 14th August 2016, 11am - 3pm Alexandra Park, Epsom Tasman Room Level 1 - Centennial Stand Contact Warwick Lewis on 09 575 7360 or warwicklewis@xtra.co.nz
BOLLYWOOD FUSION CHARITY DINNER
Saturday 29th October 2016 The Mahatma Gandhi Centre, 145 New North Rd, Eden Terrace Call 09 377 4238 to book tickets now Proceeds to Totara Hospice + Cancer Society
For further information about our events at Totara Hospice, Please contact Katherine on Katherine.trotter@hospice.co.nz or 09 640 0255 02 // Totara Talk - your connection to Hospice
THE WISHLIST Are you able to donate any of the following items to support the work of Totara Hospice? • $2000 for several newer computers to enable efficiency of nursing teams • Briscoe’s, Warehouse and Hardware store gift vouchers • Fan heater x 2 for the nurses station at night • Candles 5cm across x 10-12 cm high • Baby monitors for patients unable to ring bell (eg. Vtech Baby Digital audio $58.99) • Small radio/cd player x 2 for patient rooms and bathroom • 1 x pull out sofa bed for the Family Flat • 1 x couch for patients and families in Inpatient Unit If you can help us please contact trina.napier@hospice.co.nz or 09 640 0243, please do contact Trina before purchasing. Thank you for your support
GOING FOR GOLD FOR HOSPICE
We speak to Chris Scott, Human Resource Manager at Totara Hospice, about why she’s committed to running the Auckland Marathon as a Gold Runner to raise funds for the hospice.
Chris, tell us what you enjoy about workin g for Totara Hospice and what your role as HR Manager involves.
Shop local to help your community hospice
I really enjoy working here at Totara Hospice, pretty much because I like the fact that we are supporting people in a very challenging period of their lives and trying to make that time the best life that they can possibly have.
Best Prices Great Brands Quality Goods
My role here is about how to attract good people and support them and develop them to their full potential. Essentially, it’s about enabling people to do the best that they possibly can.
You recently volunteered as a model at the Ladies’ Lunch Fashion Show and you’ve also signed up as a Gold Runner for the Auckland Marathon . What made you put your hand up? The fashion show was fun, I really enjoy that kind of stuff! More importantly, it’s about the whole hospice team philosophy: if something’s important to us as an organisation, and for us to be successful in that area, we all need to be part of it. It’s also about promoting Totara Hospice; if people don’t know about us, how can we fundraise? That’s why I volunteered as a model and registered as a gold runner for the Auckland Marathon.
Have you ever run the Auckland Marathon before? I started running about three years ago and I did the 10km in the Auckland Marathon two years ago, that was quite a struggle. So I was training for that last year but it was also the day of the RWC final and I couldn’t run on the most important day of the year!
What’s your advice to someon e thin kin g about the signin g up as a Gold Runn er to support Hospice? I would say they should just do it! I guess I can compare it to when I did it two years ago and I wasn’t running prior to that, and I wanted to get fit and to be much healthier than I was. I needed to have a goal and the marathon was an awesome goal – I didn’t see the purpose of running just for the sake of running. You get to run
NEW SHOP
over the Harbour Bridge which is amazing and it’s such an awesome atmosphere.
Rices Mall 61 Picton Street Howick
You don’t have to run all the way and you don’t have to be the fastest. You can walk a bit, you can run a bit and as long as you finish – finishing at the end was the biggest buzz that I got. This year I’m running as a Hospice representative, it makes it more important and I’m driven even more to cross that finish line. It’s raising money for hospice and it’s about promoting the work of the hospice – helping people understand what hospice is and what we do. There are two of us signed up already and we need just five more Gold Runners to join our team! If you are interested please contact Katherine.trotter@hospice.co.nz or call her on 021 740 385.
NEED SOME RETAIL THERAPY? Why not support Hospice at the same time?
With six Hospice shops supporting Totara Hospice you’re sure to find one close by. Whether it’s to browse the racks for an amazing bargain, hunt down a special gift, or drop off quality goods that are no longer wanted – we’d love to see you. • Howick - 61 Picton Street - 09 534 1545 • Manurewa - 153 Great South Road - 09 268 0211 • Manukau - 29b Cavendish Drive - 09 263 5080 • The Gardens Manurewa - Shop 2, 91-97 Charles Prevost Dr - 09 269 4472 • Takanini - 198 Great South Road - 09 297 7550 • Pakuranga - Aylesbury St, Pakuranga Plaza - 09 576-2189
Support Totara Hospice as a Gold Runner Hospice supporters who sign up as Gold Runners will be supported with free entry into their chosen event, a free ferry and/or bus ticket, a training guide and access to an online Q&A site about training, injuries and nutrition. You will receive either a Hospicebranded singlet or t-shirt, an invitation to our exclusive event where you can meet others running for Hospice and receive tips from a running expert and train with other Hospices of Auckland marathon runners.
After the run, breakfast at the Craigs Investment Partners marquee will be provided. In return we ask that you commit to raising a minimum for Totara Hospice: marathon $2,000, half marathon $1,500 and 12km Traverse $1,500 with all proceeds going to Totara Hospice South Auckland.
It’s taken 23 years, four children and terminal cancer for Wendy Fred and Savali Ielito finally tie the knot.
Her new husband says they wouldn’t have been able to get married without the great people at the hospice.
And it’s all thanks to the generosity of Totara Hospice South Auckland.
“We didn’t do this for ourselves, we did this for the children, so that my children can grow up and know that this is how you do things.”
The Mangere couple had decided to wed just two days before the ceremony. Wendy’s condition had worsened so the hospice took over. “Hospice said they would do everything. We thought we better do something now before something happens. I am getting sicker and maybe one day I may not recover,” Wendy says.
Dempsey Wood hosted their annual Cricket Fundraising Day on the 2nd of April 2016. It was an awesome day, with the weather being kind, they raised an amazing $20,000 for Totara Hospice. A special thanks to the Hugh Green Group who support Conal Dempsey and his team with fundraising as well.
To sign up, email: katherine.trotter@hospice.co.nz or call 09 640 0255.
JUST FOLLOW YOUR HEART: HOSPICE WEDDING FOR WENDY
Wendy has been using Totara Hospice’s services on and off since March 2015 after she was diagnosed with terminal bile duct cancer.
Batting a six for Hospice
Savali says his wife is a very strong woman and she is fighting. “I thought she was going to give up on life but she didn’t - she is fighting very strongly. “My advice to couples out there that are going through the same thing as us is to not to give up. Life is too short to give up on. “Your life isn’t yours to give up on, it belongs to the man upstairs.
“Live life to the fullest. Stand by your partner, give them everything they want, make them happy. But most importantly keep on smiling, rain or shine, keep on doing what you think is best.” Thank you to the Manukau Courier for letting us publish their story from the 14/4/16 issue. Wendy passed away on the 14.05.2016. On behalf of the Niko-Fred family and all at Totara Hospice we would like to thank the community for their wonderful thoughts and messages that were passed on to Wendy and Savali from the article.
Crafting 33 years of donations Thank you to the Alfriston Country Market for supporting Totara Hospice for 33 years, Jessie Mravicich (L) was delighted to receive a donation for $2,500 from the stall holders.
National Partners BNI hit a hole in one! BNI Metro Golf Masters raises $5755, thanks to David Easterbrook (L), Jamie Morrison and Andrew Bother-By and everyone at BNI Metro.
The hospice team came to the party and provided the venue, the celebrant, the wedding dress, suits, flowers, food and cake. Wendy’s advice to others waiting to get married is to follow your heart. The couple met at a Samoan nightclub in Mangere when they were teenagers. But the 36-year-old says they’d just kept putting marriage off. “If you have the right man or woman in front of you, just follow your heart don’t put it off like I did.”
Fred and Savali Ieli are married by celebrant Shellie Prime at a special ceremony arranged by Totara Hospice. South Auckland. Photo: Samantha Smith / Manukau Courier Totara Talk - your connection to Hospice // 03
A STORY TO SHARE WITH YOU from Tina McCafferty - CE
Greetings All, Kia ora tātou, Kia Orana, Talofa Lava, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa Lahi Atu, Ni sa Bula Vinaka, Namaste, Ní hăo, Hola! Every day, Clinical Director James Jap leads our team of clinical professionals, support staff and volunteers here at Totara to ‘make hospice happen’. These people all work with the sole purpose of caring and making a difference for patients and families. I am very proud to be the Chief Executive of an organisation that seeks to make a valuable difference to the experience of people who are dying and to their families.
the opportunity to see the results of all the plans (big and small) he had made for himself and with his wife and family fall into place. His planned future was not going to be. It was a confronting reality; an emotional assault for everyone. John struggled to believe he would only have a few months. However time ensured that he couldn’t deny it anymore. There was fear and sadness, coupled with physical pain, increasing loss of independence, and the terror of loss of dignity. In a large hospital, the system was at a loss to respond well. It’s there to save lives; it’s not really designed to provide what’s needed when it can’t.
What does it mean, though? What does “making a valuable difference” look like? I realise that giving you the facts and figures doesn’t share any insight into what Hospice offers, so for this edition I thought I would share with you a personal experience from the other side of the table in the hope that you will be able to understand more about what lies behind them – ultimately why the ongoing work of Hospice is so important.
Knowing that it would be impossible to be comfortable in a hospital room with just a curtain for privacy, with staff no longer able to really understand his needs, we asked about Hospice. We knew enough to know that Hospice might be able to understand his needs. However, accepting Hospice meant accepting the time was near. John was scared and sad - we all were. Did Hospice
Two years ago, a family member of mine was visibly losing his life to a disease that was robbing him of
mean giving up? Would it be too much to cope with? We asked to talk with a doctor who could discuss Hospice with us. What we heard was that Hospice would mean having people around who would not be afraid to look John in the eye and talk about what’s actually happening. John could have an equal say about what he needed for care. Hospice would be a place where John could be with his wife and kids, with anyone he needed and where we could all be together and ‘ourselves’. I so hoped that would be true. Three days before he died, John told me, “Tina, I’m glad I accepted Hospice”. Relief. The night before his death we were all there; calmly terrified. Hospice had enabled conversations and he had said the things he wanted to say. We all knew it was time. We were talking and laughing, playing his favourite music, holding hands, sometimes crying, experiencing our own memories. He wasn’t in pain, he no longer seemed scared.
He slipped away the next day when it was only him and his beloved wife. Anne Lamott, an American novelist, once said, “You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly - that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” What I personally experienced was Hospice as a place that is prepared for death, a place that’s prepared to stand with us shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart; to give us some strength when we feel we might have none left. A place where the expression of emotional courage and love is not impeded, but a place where someone I loved could die well. Dying a good death means that loved ones have a better chance of
living well. They learn to live without you, to hold the loss and not have it be defined by distress. It seems inevitable that one day we all have to hear bad news about someone we love (maybe even ourselves) and we all want their goodbye to be the best it can be. We want those we love to be supported, and have them able to “dance with the limp”. That’s how, and why, Hospice strives to make a valuable difference and it’s why I would like to say to you... Thank you for continuing to make Hospice happen.
Tina McCafferty Chief Executive
WE NEED YOU - Help us keep Totara Hospice on the road. An important part of our palliative care services is providing expert care and practical assistance to the patient and their family/whanau in their own home. This is only partially funded from the government.
demanding, both physically and emotionally, however it is also very rewarding and a wonderful gift to your loved one. Our Community Services team are there to visit regularly and work within a multidisciplinary team to ensure the best quality of life for patient and family.
We recognise that caring for someone who is ill is very
• Our services are provided free of charge to eligible persons and their families. • Our community of 500,000+ is one of NZ’s largest and most culturally diverse. • Every year Totara Hospice provides care for over 900 patients and their families.
• It costs an average of $225 each time a patient is visited in the community, and each team member averages 5 visits per day. There are many costs behind the scenes of keeping Hospice on the Road for patients and loved ones. We must maintain the 19 vehicles our team use, including petrol and general maintenance.
Totara Hospice provides specialist palliative care services to the South and South-East area of Auckland. 40
Musick Point Bucklands Beach Eastern Beach Waiatarua Reserve (and Wetlands)
Mellons Bay
Omana Regional Park
Maraetai
Pine Harbour
Cockle Bay
Howick
Lloyd Elsmore Park
Duder Regional Park
Mangemangeroa Valley Walkway
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WAITEMATA HARBOUR
Mutukaora Hamlins Hill Regional Park
Onehunga
Whitford
Botany
Ambury Regional Park
Tawhitokino Regional Park
Kawakawa Bay
Middlemore Hospital
Mangere
Otuataua Stonefields
When a life limiting illness strikes, a families world is turned upside down. As the end of life nears, loved ones want to be as close as possible to make the most of every day they have together. We hope you will consider supporting with a donation to help us Keep Hospice on the Road and our team in the community with those who need our support.
Omana Beach
Half Moon Bay
Cornwall Park Stardome Observatory
Additionally every car must be stocked with medical supplies, that must cover a range of medical needs, as each patient has unique conditions to care for.
Clevedon Scenic Reserve
Murphys Bush Scenic Reserve
Manukau
Tapapakanga Regional Park
Clevedon
Totara Park Auckland Botanic Gardens
16 25
Auckland Airport
10
Manurewa
Puhinui Reserve
Ardmore
Waharau Regional Park
rahams Beach
Papakura
Elletts Beach
Hunua Falls
Hunua
1
Hunua Ranges Regional Park
Whakatiwai Regional Park
36
Drury 7
Karaka 6
22
Ramarama
Waiau Pa
Waiau Beach
Kaiaua
22
Clarks Beach
22
Glenbrook Beach
YES! I will provide a gift to Keep Totara Hospice on the Road - Every gift is appreciated. Every gift makes a difference. Patumahoe
Bombay
2
Pukekohe
4
15
Please accept my donation of:
Glenbrook
Waiuku 12
$20
18
34
35
Pukekohe Park Raceway
$50
14
Other Gift:
22
1
2
Pokeno
$100
Tuakau
I would like more information on:
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Waikato River
Title:______ First Name:______________________________
If you wish to pay via Internet Banking: Bank Account: 12-3032-0715880-02
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Phone: (09) 640 0025 Website: www.hospice.co.nz Address: 140 Charles Prevost Drive, The Gardens, Auckland
Freepost Authority No: 149295 Totara Hospice PO Box 75560 Manurewa Auckland 2243 The Privacy Act of 1993 requires us to advise you that we keep contact information of supporters on file to help us with fundraising. If you do not wish us to keep your information, please advise us. If you wish to check the details that we have on your file, you are welcome to enquire. Please notify us if you wish to be removed from our mailing list.
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