Latest news with #Kunicich
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Whangārei teen's Melbourne health trip secured after Jetstar setback
Carrie is now returning to Melbourne at the end of the month for a check-up with the team. The trip was almost derailed by Jetstar's inability to offer wheelchair assistance on the family's booked flight, which mum Laura Kunicich described as 'ridiculous'. The discount airline apologised for being unable to accommodate the request on this occasion but said its wheelchair limit - of two passengers needing wheelchair assistance - had been reached on the flight. It offered to find the family an alternative flight but Kunicich opted to cancel the booking and take a full refund instead. Kunicich said the hardest thing was she was unable to know the limit had been reached before she booked the flight. She was unable to change the date because she travels on a UK passport and has to apply for Electronic Travel Authority or an eVisitor Visa in advance of the Australian visit. With funds being tight, Kunicich thought she would have to wait for a refund from Jetstar before booking a new flight. However, Air New Zealand contacted her following the Northern Advocate 's coverage, offering a good deal on a flight with wheelchair assistance. It held the booking open until Kunicich was able to pay, which she said was a great relief. Kunicich is also grateful to the community who helped fund the trip through a Givealittle page and direct donations, including the Lions Club of Whangārei which offered $1000 this year and $1000 next year if Carrie needs to return again. However, Kunicich said she is still waiting for her Jetstar refund, which was approved last Wednesday but may take up to 15 days to be credited.
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Jetstar wheelchair limit may ground Whangārei teen's crucial Melbourne trip
The trip was funded with donations from the Whangārei community, including an anonymous donor who funded the flights, said her mum Laura Kunicich. After a successful trip, Carrie now needs to return at the end of May for a check-up. The Whangārei community has again given donations to help fund the trip, including the ongoing support of the Lions Club of Whangārei. Kunicich, a widow, was unable to pay for the trip herself from her part-time job with an accounting firm. But she struck problems on Friday after booking the flight home from Melbourne for May 30 with discount carrier Jetstar. Kunicich said Jetstar's website said it could provide wheelchair assistance but when she rang to finalise this, it was unable to give the help Carrie needs: a loan wheelchair to use at the airport after she checks in her motorised wheelchair. Kunicich said her only option was a refund from the airline, which takes up to seven days. As of this morning, she still had not received the refund. This puts her in a difficult position as she needs the refund before she can book a flight with a different carrier – and she is holding her breath amid the tension of whether flights and assistance will be available. Kunicich was able to book flights and wheelchair assistance from Auckland to Melbourne on May 26 without issue with a different airline. However, because Kunicich travels on a UK passport, she has to apply for Electronic Travel Authority or an eVisitor Visa in advance, and does not have flexibility with dates of travel to and from Australia. She thought the approach by Jetstar was 'ridiculous'. Jetstar apologised for being unable to accommodate the request on this occasion but said its wheelchair limit had been reached on the flight. In a statement, the airline said its team worked hard to find the family an alternative flight but Kunicich opted to cancel the booking and take a full refund instead. Jetstar has established a dedicated Contact Centre team to assist customers with specific assistance requests and regularly reviews the support provided to these customers, it said. 'The community is just awesome' While the Jetstar experience has put the trip on tenterhooks, Kunicich is still so grateful to the Whangārei community for the support and help with funding. 'The community is just awesome ... It's a nice warm feeling to know that people care.' One supporter is the Lions Club of Whangārei, which gave $1000 this year and confirmed another $1000 next year if Carrie needs to return to Melbourne for another check-up then. Secretary Brian Boys said the club runs a charity golf tournament in March each year, and has already donated $10,000 to St John and $10,000 to North Haven Hospice from this year's event. Kunicich said she and Carrie hope to continue the relationship with Lions by helping out with its Citrus for the South project, with fruit collected and washed on August 10. Other donations including $300 worth of gift vouchers from Hikurangi farm store Bates and Keen Family Farm, which will be raffled off to raise funds for the trip. Kunicich believed people were willing to get behind Carrie because of her cool attitude, which saw her being recognised for academically excelling in 12 different subjects last term. The first appointments with Melbourne specialists, led by Professor Martin Delatycki of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, were a great success as they recommended Carrie take baclofen, a medicine which helps reduce muscle spasms. The drug has been a game-changer, reducing Carrie's muscle spasms and involuntary limb movements, allowing her to sleep and concentrate better.
NZ Herald
05-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Community support gets Whangārei teen specialist health help
The condition used to be so painful and leave Carrie so tired she would often fall asleep in class, said mum Laura Kunicich. But last year the family were able to travel to Melbourne to meet with doctors specialising in Friedreich ataxia. The team, led by professor Martin Delatycki of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, spent two days testing and questioning Carrie, to find out more about her symptoms. The specialists recommended Carrie take baclofen, a medicine which helps relax muscles and can reduce muscle spasms, Kunicich said. This has been a game-changer, reducing Carrie's spasms which made her limbs jump around – often waking her at night – and reducing muscle tightness, improving her ability to walk unaided. But the Melbourne visit would not have gone ahead without community support, as Kunicich, a widow, often had to take time off from her part-time job at an accounting firm to look after Carrie. The family started a fundraiser by selling kindling, but found so many people in Whangārei wanted to help that Kunicich started a Givealittle page for donations. After NZME ran a story, further help came from an anonymous donor who paid for the flights to Melbourne. The extra support meant the family, including younger brother Keifer, were able to make the most of the Melbourne trip, visiting museums, Melbourne Zoo and Legoland. Kunicich said she was blown away by the generosity of all those who donated. 'It really surprised me – you think you're just one person in this town but there was a lot of support.' She is again running a Givealittle fundraiser to return to Melbourne later this month, so Carrie can have a check-up with the specialists, a trip likely to be needed each year. Despite the cost and effort of having to go to Melbourne, the input from the specialists has been invaluable, Kunicich said. Carrie is now thriving at Whangārei Girls' High School, where she uses a motorised wheelchair to get around the campus. Last term, she was recognised for academically excelling in 12 different subjects. In her spare time, Carrie likes listening and dancing to K-Pop – Stray Kids is her favourite band – and she enjoys swimming. She also gets relief from going to a chiropractor. Kunicich said the change in Carrie's energy levels has been so dramatic, she now even offers to help with housework. 'It sounds simple but baclofen has been a game-changer.'
