Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

'Beautiful Bubba' Chace Topperwien dies

By Matthew Theunissen
Hamilton News·
15 Jun, 2012 09:11 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article


 Chace Topperwien has died after a brave battle with leukaemia.

The Whakatane-based Hamilton three-year-old was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of the disease just before his second birthday.

In April, Chase and his parents Ryan and Keri Topperwien flew to the United Kingdom to undergo a drug trial at the Royal Marsden Hospital near London, but it was unsuccessful.

Mrs Topperwien announced the sad news on the toddler's Facebook fundraising page last night.

"Our beautiful bubba, Chace Eriki Topperwien, passed away as peacefully as we could have ever wished for this afternoon in between his mummy and daddy in our bed. sleep in heavenly peace beautiful boy, we love you with all our hearts. Time to go play with great Koko now, he has the meanest hammers and tools, and we told him to have the coolest go kart waiting for you. No more mamae darling, time for a sleep now."

The announcement had received 840 comments in nine hours.

The family had hoped the UK treatment would fight the cancer long enough for Chace to have a second bone marrow transplant, his best chance of survival.

 

"There is no chance of another transplant," Mrs Topperwien told the Herald earlier this month.

"It would be doomed to failure since he has too much leukaemic cells."

Though there was nothing more medically that could be done for Chace, the couple used alternative medicines which they said had boosted the youngster's energy.

Mr and Mrs Topperwien put their professional lives on hold when Chace was diagnosed, and said they were glad to be spending each day with their boy.

"I'm sure one day we will look back on it and be glad we literally travelled to the ends of the earth for Chace.

"It didn't work, but we tried everything and that's all we have the power to do, try."

For more information on bone marrow donation visit bonemarrow.org.nz

 

- APNZ

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

'Kick in the teeth': Hamilton workers join protest for pay equity

09 May 05:00 AM
Waikato Herald

Resurfacing works to cause delays on SH1 until July

09 May 03:31 AM
Waikato Herald

Waikato police name 64yo man killed in Kawhia Rd crash

09 May 02:11 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

'Kick in the teeth': Hamilton workers join protest for pay equity
Waikato Herald

'Kick in the teeth': Hamilton workers join protest for pay equity

09 May 05:00 AM

The bill, announced on Tuesday, was passed under urgency on Wednesday night.

Resurfacing works to cause delays on SH1 until July
Waikato Herald

Resurfacing works to cause delays on SH1 until July

09 May 03:31 AM
Waikato police name 64yo man killed in Kawhia Rd crash
Waikato Herald

Waikato police name 64yo man killed in Kawhia Rd crash

09 May 02:11 AM
Rotorua man named as victim of Waikato crash
Waikato Herald

Rotorua man named as victim of Waikato crash

09 May 12:49 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP