KNOW A YOUNG KIWI WHO'S GOING THROUGH HELL – OR ONE WHO'S HELPING OTHERS OUT OF A HELLISH SITUATION?

As a young-at-heart and fun-loving Kiwi-owned business, HELL loves to see young New Zealanders doing well. So when we hear about kids having a tough time, we’ll try to make a difference wherever we can.

 

That’s why Satan’s Little Helper was sent on his quest to cut a break for good young souls struck down by the big guy in the sky.

 

We also know there are many others out there fighting the good fight, and so we’ve launched Satan’s Biggest Little Helper to recognise under-23-year-olds going above and beyond to help create a better future for others.

 

If you know of any under-18s worthy of un-divine intervention, or would like to recognise the hard toil of an under 23-year-old who’s gone the extra mile, nominate them now and SLH will see what he can do to help and support them.

NOMINATE someone for Satan’s Little Helper’s Services Click Here

UN-DIVINE INTERVENTION

  • Less fright at night

    HELL has helped make nighttime a little less scary for Danielle and Gareth Bridger, by purchasing a Baby Factory audio-visual monitoring system to put in their son Brice’s bedroom.

    We like to know our little devils are tucked up safe and sound after the sun goes down – but for Danielle and Gareth from Taranaki, putting 18-month-old Brice to bed leaves them filled with anxiety.

     

    Brice, who has three other siblings, was recently diagnosed with epilepsy and often has seizures at night. To make matters worse, Gareth was diagnosed with MS in 2014 and has been forced to take extended periods off work.

     

    Danielle says being able to remotely monitor Brice in his room is a huge relief, as his seizures can occur at any time with no obvious triggers.

     

    “We can keep an eye on Brice at all times now, night or day, even if we’re outside in the garden. It’s great, because the camera has a remote control that we can use to look around the entire room,” she says. “HELL also paid for a second monitor that we’ve installed at Brice’s grandparents, so they can keep an eye on him when he stays there.”

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  • Making the most of Armageddon

    When Satan’s Little Helper (SLH) heard Connor Buckley’s story, he wanted to give the computer gaming fan an unforgettable experience. HELL organised VIP tickets for Connor, his sister Natasha and two friends to get their geek on at the Wellington leg of the Armageddon expo – New Zealand’s largest entertainment and pop culture showcase.

     

    Four years ago, Connor was diagnosed with a tumour on his pituitary gland. This gland, which sits at the base of the brain, plays an important role in controlling the release of growth hormones around the body. It led to Connor contracting gigantism and a rare disease called acromegaly that can cause severe disfigurement.

     

    During two operations, doctors were able to successfully remove the tumour. Unfortunately, the 17-year-old recently found out that he had a cancerous tumour on his spine and is currently undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatment for Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.

     

    His sister, and SLH nominator, Natasha says that because of the diagnosis, Connor had to put studying electrical engineering at Whitireia Polytechnic on hold.

     

    “He was really looking forward to it, because he missed out on a lot of school,” she says. “He has to be admitted to hospital for three to five days every fortnight, which is very boring for him and makes having a normal social life really hard.

     

    “Even when he is home, a nurse has to visit every second day to do blood tests. He also has to inject himself in the stomach to boost his white blood cell count.”

     

    A gaming and anime fan, SLH thought a VIP experience at Armageddon would be a good chance for Connor and his mates to hang out. Natasha said they all had a blast.

     

    “His favourite part of the weekend was checking out people’s costumes and all the effort they put in to them. The visual reality demonstration and being able to check out the stands with his favourite TV shows and games were also highlights,” she says. “He’s really grateful that HELL gave him the opportunity to hang out with mates and it’s an experience he won’t ever forget!”

     

    Connor’s friends started a givealittle donation page to help cover the costs of his treatment. You can visit the page at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help4connor. 

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  • Living with MS can be HELL

    Six of the capital’s HELL stores helped raise more than $5000 for MS Wellington, as part of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.

    HELL Island Bay, Strathmore, Hataitai, Bond St, Cuba St and Northland each donated $1 from every double pizza sold and 50c from every snack pizza sold between 29 August and 4 September directly to the annual fundraiser.

     

     

    MS Wellington committee member Hamish Bockett-Smith who has Multiple Sclerosis says the contribution made by HELL franchisees was “fantastic.”

     

    “They are just awesome. We can’t thank them enough for the enthusiasm they have shown. The $5000 they raised will make a huge difference for our charity.”

     

    MS Wellington operates on a very limited budget. Ten percent comes from the government, the rest from grants and donations. Almost all resources go towards funding field workers, who work directly with people affected by MS to help improve their quality of life.

     

    “Our field workers spend the majority of their time out on the road visiting people with MS,” says Hamish. “They advocate on their behalf with government services, help them access further support, and offer advice on how to manage their MS and lead as full a life as possible.

     

    “Their role is vital, especially for those who have recently been diagnosed; funding is a constant battle, so contributions like this make a huge difference.”

     

    HELL Northland franchisee PJ Buttar was thrilled to help. “It was a pleasure to be a part of it,” she says. “I don’t have a personal connection to anyone with MS, but the response from customers and staff was great. We sold about 100 more pizzas during the week than we normally would, which goes to show how the public got behind the cause.”

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  • Dancing towards recovery

    Three years ago, 11-year-old Chantal Stallard received a life-changing leukaemia diagnosis that affected her entire family. When her mother Virginia contacted HELL, Satan’s Little Helper got straight on the case and treated the Stallard ladies (Chantal, Virginia and younger sister Dominique) to a luxurious day of pampering at Waiwera Thermal Spa Resort.

     

    Chantal’s parents, Virginia and Tony, say the day they received the diagnosis was “the worst day of our lives”.

     

    What followed was a two-and-a-half-year treatment regime that included blood tests, injections, infusions, transfusions, bone marrow tests, lumbar punctures, lengthy hospital stays, daily tablet taking and many days at home too sick to go anywhere. 

     

    In that time, Chantal has accumulated nearly 1,100 ‘beads of courage’; issued by the Child Cancer Foundation, each bead represents a different stage of treatment.

     

    Despite facing numerous challenges, Chantal maintained a brave face, attending school when possible and even appearing in her ballet school’s annual show.

     

    “She was determined not to miss any ballet or dance lessons if she could manage it,” says Virginia. “She did her best and we’re so proud of her for keeping it up.”

     

    Chantal’s Port-a-Catheter* was removed last February and marked six months since her last chemotherapy session.

     

    With a long road to recovery ahead of her daughter, Virginia thought her brave angel deserved to be treated to a day out at the Waiwera Thermal Spa Resort.

     

    Satan’s Little Helper arranged a Manuka Body Wrap and spa treatment for the three ladies of the family. It was also a chance for Chantal’s principal caretaker, stay at home dad Tony to grab some well-deserved time out. He went and relaxed at the Gulf Harbour Marina, before joining his girls for a soak in the hot pools.

     

    Virginia says it was a great day out.

     

    “I think a day of love and pampering was just what the doctor ordered!” she says. “Thanks so much to everyone at HELL for giving us such a fabulous day, we appreciated it so much.”

     

    While Chantal’s life is starting to return to normal, Virginia says there is a long way to go before they can be 100% confident she’s in the clear.

     

    “The oncologists no longer need to see us at Starship Hospital, which represents a new marker in Chantal’s recovery,” she says. “Now we’re going to the outpatient clinic in Greenlane every two months for monitoring. So far, all the signs are positive; we just hope and pray it stays that way.

     

    “All going well, these will extend to three, four and six monthly visits; then hopefully we get to hear ‘see you in a year’s time’. After that, a 20-year-long monitoring process begins and only after that can the doctors say she is 100% cured.

     

    “She’s a brave and strong soul, and is now a normal teenager – we’ve gone from chemo-induced moods to hormone-induced ones, but at least we can explain them!”

     

    *Used by doctors to administer chemotherapy directly into the bloodstream, a Port-a-Catheter sits under the patient’s skin. The area is numbed and needle is inserted, it’s necessary because the body’s veins can’t handle repeated injections.

     

    Image: Chantal at Starship during after receiving her diagnosis, but prior to starting chemotherapy. 

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  • Listening device gives “exceptional” Max a fair go in the classroom

    Max O’Connor is exceptional. On one hand, the nine-year-old’s IQ is in the 98th percentile; on the other, he can only understand about half of what is said to him.

     

    Max has Audio Processing Disorder (APD), which means only some of the information received by his ears registers in his brain.

     

     

    Fortunately for Max, there is a solution. With the help of Satan’s Little Helper – Hell Pizza’s crusader for good causes –  he and his classmates at Christchurch’s Hoon Hay School are benefitting from a state-of-the-art sound system that significantly increases Max’s listening comprehension and allows the rest of his class to hear more clearly too.   

     

    “The system costs around $2,800,” says Max’s mum Sonya. “We had a nightmare trying to get funding from the Ministry of Education. I was getting really worried that Max would become frustrated at school and stop applying himself. When I applied to Satan’s Little Helper, I wasn’t really expecting anything to come of it, so I was really excited when they offered to help.”

     

    The system was installed on 30 March and Sonya is delighted with the results. “Max loves it! He can’t believe the difference. Instead of using all his energy to try to understand what the teacher is saying, he can focus on learning. As a result, the teacher is spending less time checking that Max has heard her, which gives her much more time with other kids.”

     

    Hoon Hay teacher Kate Johnson would love to see the system installed elsewhere. “Every single child in the country would benefit from this system, because every child would hear better” she says.

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  • Satan’s Little Helper can’t perform miracles, but has been known to get people out of a tight spot. Check out how Lucifer’s little mate helped these unfortunates in their time of need.

    MORE UN-DIVINE INTERVENTION +

  • IHC’s Project Active trains it's youth members to become self-sufficient, so when they asked us for a few pizzas for a party, we figured a simple treat wouldn’t quite do the trick. Check out what happened!

    MORE ACTIVE IN HELL +

  • Feeding Brains

    They say the devil finds work for idle hands, but we’ve flipped the script by making that work educational. Our plan kicked off with a Reading Challenge to get more books in kids’ mitts.

    Read for yourself here!   

     

  • Hell’s supported charities and foundations for a long time. When a worthy cause grabs our attention, we’ll throw our weight behind it.

    MORE SATAN'S SUPPORT +

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