I love digital technology, and have been in the software and internet business since the early 1980's after being brought-up in the countryside in Northland. Then, when I watched the TimeOut piece of TV1's Seven Sharp programme, I was really impressed with TimeOut, and got in touch with Ronda to offer to help alongside these other wonderful, likeminded people. Together, we created a programme for donating a weeklong holiday in our beach house for families with serious health challenges, and over the following years we have had close to 50 families spend time there as part of this programme. This experience got me thinking, and in 2004 I approached the Northland Cancer Society in Whangarei to see if we could do this for other families in similar positions. They had a lovely time together, and after her passing he let us know just how much that time together had meant to them. While her husband was planning a final road trip around New Zealand together, he approached us to ask if they could stay in our beach house at Oakura Bay in Northland. ![]() In 2002, a family friend from Christchurch was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. But Auckland or Orewa is where the work is. I visit Mangawhai every so often to see family. When I am not at work I am building roads on our Puhoi farm and hanging with my kids. I love working with awesome people - Helping clients achieve results - Scientific optimisation, Measuring, interpreting data and continual improvement. I have experience in graphic design, online marketing, project management, setting up and running a business. I know that our family and many of the MND families would have really appreciated TimeOut and access to a holiday home at no cost. I attended a number of MND meetings and got to know a number of the patients and their families. She was given 2 years to live while her muscles slowly degraded, she went through a divorce, setup the Motor Neuron Society for NZ, remarried and lived for 20 years to see her grandchildren. My mother was diagnosed with Motor Neuron disease when I was 10. When she came up with the idea for TimeOut and as she developed the idea. I have worked with Ronda for many years, when she learned that she had cancer, when she learned she only had a few years to live, when she went through Chemo and came through the other side. Hamish Braddick Board Member & Home Donor My hope is that TimeOut will help connect terminally families with generous donators so that they too will have the opportunity to build memories and find strength from being supported by the community. Building memories in a way that doesn't add extra financial burden is one of the key things every family affected by terminal illness needs to do. I realised that our situation was not unique, there are a lot of families affected by terminal illness. We could not have done the trip without this generosity.īoth of these experiences made a big and real difference to us at a time when things were extremely difficult. ![]() Christmas came quickly and we again were offered a friends holiday home as a place to rest on our way to Wellington to spend time with extended family. It is fair to say we were all in shock and dealing with things as best we could.Ī friend offered us her holiday home to go and stay in once the kids had finished their exams. It was late October, so they were all in the middle of exams. In fact, my daughter had her 17th Birthday at my hospital bed the morning before i had surgery. My children at the time were aged 18, 17 and 13. In 2013 I was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer and given a year to live. Ronda Amende Chair of Board & Charity Founder Today, we're grateful and proud to have over 150 holiday homes on offer from generous kiwis, giving people in need and their families the chance to create special memories together. In 2016, the charity was formed a not-for-profit organisation, connecting generous holiday homeowners with people with terminal illnesses, providing gifted experiences like the one Ronda was given. Inspired by the gratitude she felt, Ronda wanted other families in need to have this experience and the idea for TimeOut was born. Ronda and her family were given the opportunity to escape, put time on hold and share precious moments together, creating memories that would last a lifetime. With so much heartbreak and uncertainty during this trying time, a kind gesture from a work colleague provided much-needed relief - some time away at a family holiday home on the beautiful Coromandel. Ronda was determined to fight her illness and began a three-year battle with chemotherapy, beating her cancer into remission. ![]() Our story began in 2013, when TimeOut founder Ronda Amende was diagnosed with a rare cancer and given 12 months to live.
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