It was supposed to be a perfect day celebrating a little girl's first birthday. Instead it became a nightmare as she was flown to Starship Hospital with suspected cancer.
Jamie Brock, wife Michelle and their two daughters, Anna and Sophia, travelled to Hawke's Bay to celebrate Sophia's birthday with family.
But on the morning of her party, Sophia was unwell and taken to a medical centre.
Within 12 hours, she was loaded into the back of an air rescue aeroplane and flown to Starship Hospital after tests suggested she had Wilms' tumour - cancer of the kidney.
"From then, everything changed," said Mr Brock.
"It was hugely scary ... it is every parents' worst nightmare."
That was two and a half years ago.
Today, the family is backing a campaign to raise money for Starship.
After Sophia had been taken to hospital, Mr Brock drove to Auckland to meet Sophia and Michelle - and the next two days were "an absolute nightmare" as they waited for test results.
After a gruelling wait, it was confirmed Sophia had Wilms' tumour.
"That was the hardest time ... not knowing," he said.
"But at the same time it was comforting knowing Sophia was in the best place possible ... "
Mr and Mrs Brock's eldest daughter, Anna, who was 3 at the time, stayed at Mr Brock's parent's place in Hawke's Bay, so they were able to go up to Auckland and be with Sophia.
Mr and Mrs Brock took shifts at Starship Hospital while Sophia underwent an operation to remove the tumour and a kidney.
Following this, she battled through 20 weeks of chemotherapy.
However, her recovery was not so straight-forward.
As well as killing the tumour, the chemotherapy caused problems for her immune system.
During the next six months, Sophia was rushed to hospital a number of times, almost lifeless, as her immunity count hit zero.
It was something Mr Brock said he would never forget.
"Going through this, you realise that life changes and you have to deal with different challenges every day," he said. "We're now prepared at a minute's notice ... and you have to take every day as it comes."
Almost two-and-a-half years after finishing chemotherapy treatment, Sophia is now happy and healthy.
She attends daycare and is a normal 3-year-old girl.
Sophia has to have blood tests, scans and x-rays every three months for the time being.
Mr Brock is grateful for the support his family received from Starship, friends and family.
He is particularly grateful to the Starship Air Rescue Service that flew Sophia and Michelle to Starship Hospital and is an advocate for Telecom's mobile phone recycling campaign, which helps people safely dispose of their old mobile phones.
From every phone donated, $10 will be given to the Starship Mobile Phone Appeal.
Money raised will pay for priority needs at Starship - such as lifesaving medal equipment through to vital paediatric research.
Since the campaign began this year, more than 50,000 phones have been donated nationally, raising $500,000 for Starship.
Andrew Young, chief executive of Starship Foundation, said the money raised to date had gone towards the Starship Air Rescue Service.
As well as having a personal connection to the campaign, Mr Brock - who is head of North Island sales for Telecom's Gen-i business - said recycling cellphones was good for the environment.
All mobile phones can be recycled.
Phones can be left in recycle bins in Telecom stores, or sent freepost to: Private Bag 208005, Manukau 2161, FreePost: 223107. For more information, visit www.telecom.co.nz/starship.
Happiness follows health nightmare
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