Michael Croxford and Sally Lattimore of Nelson Orienteering Club are fundraising for their son Leo to get a life changing bone marrow transplant in the USA and would like your support. The treatment is not available in New Zealand for his condition but is available for free in the USA but the travel, accommodation and associated costs aren’t covered. Leo and a support person will need to stay in the USA for at least 7 months.

Leo has an ultra-rare autoimmune disorder called SASH3, which is a protein in your body that signals how the immune system is supposed to work. It’s like a coding error for your immune system with only fourteen people in the world known to have the condition, two of whom have already passed away since the disorder was discovered in 2021.

For Leo, each time he gets sick, injured or too stressed, his immune system can attack his own blood and he can be hospitalised, requiring significant intervention with intravenous blood products, antivirals and steroids. Over his lifetime, he’s been hospitalised numerous times including twice in intensive care requiring life saving intervention. 

Despite this, last year Leo represented New Zealand at three different international orienteering competitions. He has also been hospitalised three times during the same period. Each time he needs blood products and steroids to limit the long-term effects of his disorder and speed his recovery. His determination to train and compete with on-going health issues has been inspirational to his family, friends and club.

Please help Leo fund this trip. Any support is appreciated. 

You can donate here
You can follow Leo’s journey here