Running for Holly and Starship

I’m running 100km in March to raise money for Starship, dedicated to an amazing little girl.

On October 1st 2024, 5-year-old Holly had her first seizure. After that, her seizures steadily increased to up to 70 a day, with constant activity in between.

Despite multiple treatments, her seizures were drug-resistant, and no medication could stop them. After months in and out of Wellington Hospital, she was airlifted to Auckland’s Starship Hospital for further testing where it was confirmed Holly had Rasmussen’s Encephalitis, a rare neurological condition that causes seizures, cognitive decline, and paralysis or weakness. Without treatment, it would have  continued to destroy her brain function.

With no cure, the only option was a hemispherectomy, a major surgery where half of Holly’s brain was removed. Her family spent 3 months at Starship.