In April, Chace and his parents flew to Britain to take part in a drug trial at the Royal Marsden Hospital near London. Rich-listers Owen Glenn and Eric Watson contributed $25,000 each towards the trip.
But just weeks later, they made the heartbreaking decision to bring their boy home, cutting short the expensive drug trial they hoped would save his life because he was in too much pain. 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," Topperwien told the New Zealand Herald this month.
The couple used alternative medicines which they said had boosted the youngster's energy.
The Topperwiens put their professional lives on hold when Chace was diagnosed, and said they were glad to be spending each day with their boy.
This week Keri Topperwien said that support from her thousands of online followers had helped her through some of her darkest days.
"This [Facebook] page has in a sense been my refuge, a place to gain positivity when my stocks get low.
"A way to remind myself just how much support we have. But I will now hand over to other whanau, this is by no means me giving up. I will never. But there becomes a point where the pain in my heart is overbearing."
The news of his death had attracted 1500 Facebook comments by yesterday afternoon.
