27/09/2026
🐾 Can You Help (Mikayla) Ruby Find Her Way Back to the Life She Loves? ❤️
Many of you will remember Ruby as the little girl who loved animals more than anything.
Ruby started caring for pets when she was just 8 years old.
She spent weekends, mornings, evenings and school holidays walking dogs, feeding cats, looking after pets and making sure every animal in her care felt safe, loved and happy.
She never saw it as just a job.
She genuinely loves animals.
She would happily give up her own holidays and free time because she knew fur babies needed someone who would love them as much as their own families did.
Many of you trusted Ruby with animals who were incredibly special to you.
Those animals were incredibly special to Ruby too.
💔 So much has changed
Two years ago, we moved from Auckland to Gisborne.
Since then, Ruby's health has deteriorated dramatically.
She is now 16 and spends much of her time at home because she is physically unable to do the things she used to love.
She lives with severe pain, nausea and vomiting, difficulty eating and drinking, extreme fatigue and POTS with 180bpm standing hwart rate, which can make simply standing incredibly difficult.
She is undergoing specialist investigation for vascular compression findings, suspected Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and Mast Ce Activation Syndrome (MCAS).
She has had to give up the pet care work that gave her so much happiness.
🐾 But animals are still Ruby's safe place
Since moving to Gisborne she has adopted three rescue cats from the SPCA — Bebe, who is deaf, Yona and Willow — as well as Tiger, our 10-year-old boy who came with us from Auckland.
She also fosters SPCA kittens. Some who need special care.
Ruby still dreams of a future surrounded by animals.
She wants to become a veterinary radiologist.
She wants to rescue animals.
She wants to foster.
She wants to care for animals again.
Most of all, she wants her health back so she can actually live that life.
❤️ We are trying to give her that chance
After years of trying to find answers, we are now having to pursue private specialist investigations to understand what is happening to Ruby and what can be done to help her.
The specialist tests and obtaining diagnostic reports Ruby desperately needs are not available in NZ public medical system.
These investigations are expensive, and that's why we have started a Givealittle.
We're asking for help getting her to the specialists who can help us find the answers.
🐾 And this is where we are hoping her old pet-care community might help
If you are able to donate, any amount would mean so much to our family and will help towards Ruby's private specialist investigations and medical care.
👉 Ruby's Givealittle:
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-ruby-access-medical-care
But please don't feel that you have to donate.
A share can be just as valuable.
Please share Ruby's story with your friends, family and anyone who might be able to help.
You can also follow her journey at , where we are sharing updates about Ruby's health and our search for answers.
https://www.facebook.com/RubysJourneyNZ
Also, leaving Ruby a little message, sending her some love or remembering her in your thoughts means more than you know.
🧡 From the little girl who loved your animals…
Ruby has spent so much of her life giving love to animals.
She still dreams of being healthy enough to do it again.
We're just hoping we can help her get there.
Thank you for remembering Ruby.
Thank you for caring.
And thank you for helping us give this beautiful, animal-loving girl a chance to find her way back to the life she loves. 🐾❤️
Helping Ruby access private specialist investigations and treatment for complex health conditions not available in NZ Public medical system.
