Fundraising BBQs for Cure Kids

We held lunchtime barbecues in Auckland and Wellington last month, where team members shared some stories from race day, and we marvelled at their guts and dedication. We were joined by Frances Benge, Cure Kids CEO, and Tiff Mitchell, mum of Cure Kids ambassador Eva, who filled us in on some of the work our donations help to fund.

Tiff had visited Theta before, with Eva, so it was good to hear an update on how Eva is doing. The news wasn’t great, as Eva had contracted MRSA since we last met her, but what was great to hear is that Cure Kids is now funding research into MRSA, conducted by Dr Siouxsie Wiles at the University of Auckland. She is screening unique NZ/Pacific fungi to identify their potential to kill the superbug SA. And with this research comes some hope for those living with MRSA, like Eva.

Tiff explains what this means to Eva and her family:

"When you have a child born with a serious medical condition you always expect this to be what is putting their life at risk. With Eva, this was the reality until the day doctors came in to the say she had MRSA. It meant she had to fight against this in her blood stream and on her body – it’s an ongoing battle that we never get on top of. The Cure Kids funded research underway into MRSA bugs could potentially save my child’s life, it’s the gift of hope.”

At the BBQ we presented Cure Kids with a donation from Theta of $3,000 towards this important work. We raised a further $1,131 at the Auckland BBQ and $400 at the Christchurch BBQ. Says CEO Rob Lee:

“We are so grateful to Tiff and Eva for sharing their story with us. It puts everything in perspective – the temporary pain our adventure racers endure is nothing compared to what Eva has gone through. And that’s why the whole company gets behind our Cure Kids fundraising efforts, year after year. It’s one way that we can help kids like Eva, and support research that might help them.”

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Thanks to Jeff Wogen for the photos.