For most parents, planning a first birthday involves cake and decorations. But for Selwyn couple Cat and Mike, it means running hundreds of kilometres to give back to the charity that helped them through their darkest days.
Their son, Maximus, was born on May 9, 2024, at just 33 weeks and four days, after a high-risk pregnancy that doctors believed would never make it to term.
When Cat’s waters broke at only 12 weeks, Maximus was given a 0–3% chance of survival. Termination was advised. But as long as their baby had a heartbeat, Cat and Mike refused to give up hope.
Against the odds, Cat spent 16 weeks on strict bed rest, surrounded by support from friends and family. Maximus was born a “miracle warrior,” and after a seven-week NICU stay, multiple surgeries, and hospitalisations, he is now celebrating his first birthday, a milestone his parents once feared they’d never reach.
To mark the occasion and honour the journey, the couple is launching a unique fundraiser for One Mother to Another, a South Island charity providing care packages to parents with children in hospital.
Instead of birthday gifts, Cat and Mike are asking for donations. For every $10 received, they, along with a group of friends, will run 1 kilometre around the Selwyn District within 24 hours.
They’re aiming to run more than 500km between them. The run is tentatively set for May 31 to June 1, depending on Maximus’s next surgery. “We don’t need any presents,” said Cat. “Maximus is alive — and that’s all we need. This is our way of giving back after so many others helped us.”
During their hospital stays, Cat received ten care packages from One Mother to Another. Each package contained practical items and heartfelt touches — including handwritten notes, lip balm, snacks, and earplugs — that brought her comfort during intensive hospital stays involving:
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NICU resuscitation,
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surgery for TOF-OA (tracheo-oesophageal fistula with oesophageal atresia),
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a VACTERL association diagnosis,
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cleft lip and palate repairs,
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and hospitalisation for RSV and COVID.
“Those care packages made a huge difference,” she said. “They reminded me I wasn’t alone — that someone cared enough to reach out.”
One Mother to Another delivers over 6,000 care packages every year to South Island hospitals, providing emotional support and practical tools to help parents navigate medical crises with their children. Cat and Mike’s effort is more than a fundraiser — it’s a tribute to resilience, gratitude, and community.
How to support:
Donate at www.onemothertoanother.org.nz
Every $10 donated = 1km run by Cat, Mike, and their team.
