New Zealand community funds woman’s cancer surgery
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
People in Nelson, New Zealand, donated $30,000 to cover the cost of surgery for Samira Basnet, a Nepalese woman who recently learned she has advanced thyroid cancer.
Basnet moved to New Zealand two years ago to study management at NMIT. During a medical check for her visa application, doctors discovered the cancer. Because Basnet is not a New Zealand resident and does not have a work visa, she was ineligible for public healthcare funding. Dr.
Ros Pochin, a surgeon, learned of Basnet’s situation and created a Givealittle page to raise funds for the operation. The campaign quickly surpassed its goal, gathering $30,000 in only four days. Many donors were members of the Nepalese community in Nelson, which has a large population due to a refugee resettlement program. The surgery, scheduled for November, will remove Basnet’s thyroid and affected tissues. Following the operation, she will travel to Christchurch for radioactive iodine therapy.
Doctors believe the treatment will cure Basnet’s cancer, and Pochin emphasized that this will prevent Basnet from becoming a long-term burden on the New Zealand healthcare system.
