Dear everyone,

This is a difficult message for us to write. We have spent a long time deliberating about it because asking for help doesn't come easily to us. However, we have reached a point where this feels like our only option, and so we are asking for your help.

My wife and I are raising our beautiful baby boy in America, her home country, but not mine. I moved here three years ago from New Zealand. One of our deepest wishes is for our son to meet his grandmother in New Zealand. She is getting older, and I haven't been able to hug my mother in over three years. This distance has been incredibly hard, especially since we started our own family. I want more than anything for her to hold her grandson, be part of his early memories, and feel the love of family around her.

The reality is that travel is extremely expensive, and we simply don't have the means. We don't own a home, we have no equity, and there's no other way for us to fund a trip like this. If there were, we wouldn't be asking. This truly is our last resort. The situation of not having access to my Mum is taking a major toll on my mental health; we are terrified that it will reach the point where my wife and I may have to live apart for a year or so. My Mum is aging and time keeps passing and we can’t keep living on the false dream of “someday someday maybe”. Family is TOO important ….and my son and wife deserve to hug the family that they have never had the honor to meet and my Mum deserves to see her daughter who misses her in the most earth shattering way.

We also want to make it clear that this is NOT a fundraiser for a fun vacation. We are not booking any activities or laying on the beach…we are going for the sole purpose of reunification. We plan to spend our time sitting on our loved ones couches and simply soaking in time with the people who are most precious to us.

We are praying to go for at least three weeks to ensure ample time to assist our family with anything they may need and ensure that our son also gets ample time to spend with the family he has yet to meet.

Our expenses include:

Many of you who follow and support us already feel like friends and family, which is why we're turning to you now. If you can contribute anything, no matter how small, it would bring us closer to making this dream a reality. Even just sharing this page means the world.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading, caring, and considering helping us bridge the miles between a grandmother and her grandson. We look forward to the day we can share pictures of their first hug!

End Note: We will be publicly sharing receipts of everything purchased for this trip. We want you to rest assured that we are honest and every cent will be spent precisely as stated. We don’t need or want fancy things…we just want to get there and make up for 3 years of lost time.