Moana Hancock, the Stratford businesswoman behind Romayse Tutus, has joined forces with several other local businesses to raise funds for Stratford Primary School student Shaylin Downs
Shaylin suffers from chronic eczema, which can have a big impact of her and her mother's lives a lot of the time. Nikki would love to work full time, but with Shaylin not being able to attend school all the time, Nikki has to have a job that will allow her to drop everything and be there for Shaylin. So Nikki has started sewing to make extra cash to help cover Shaylin's medical costs.
"Shaylin itches so much that her pyjamas and sheets have to be soaked off her skin the morning," says Moana, who describes the eczema has having "put Shaylin through hell for the last eight years".
Nikki has tried numerous creams and treatments on her daughter, but has struggled to find anything that offers real relief. With some creams costing up to $30 for a tube that lasts just six days, and visits to the hospital three times a week for specialist UVB treatment, the bills can mount up and Shaylin is missing out on a lot of opportunities that her peers have.
Moana has teamed up with other local businesses to run auctions to raise much-needed funds for Shaylin and her family. Moana says they would like to not only help cover the cost of Shaylin's treatments, but also to perhaps send Shaylin and her family for a break to Auckland, where Shaylin could have fun at Kelly Tarltons and Rainbows End for her birthday in July.