Bid for Change - make the invisible seen

Celebrating creativity, resilience, and the unseen stories of chronic illness

Your support of this Silent Auction helps protect:

• One‑on‑one support
• Peer support groups
• Navigation of services and advocacy
• Resources and education
• A safe, understanding community
  
  
  

For 45 years, these services at CCI Support have been a lifeline for people living with chronic illness. Today, we are facing an unprecedented funding shortfall that threatens our ability to continue providing essential support.

Our members — many of whom live with chronic, disabling long‑term conditions — have contributed their artwork, crafts, and handmade creations to help ensure we remain sustainable. Each piece is more than an item; it is a window into their journey.  
It reflects resilience in the face of exhaustion, creativity in moments of limitation, and the determination to be seen in a world that often overlooks invisible illness.

By bidding, you’re not just purchasing something beautiful.
You’re helping make the invisible seen.  
You’re ensuring that people with chronic illness continue to receive the support, advocacy, and connection they rely on.

Your participation truly makes a difference.

For 45 years, Complex Chronic Illness Support has walked alongside people living with ME/CFS, Long COVID, Fibromyalgia, Dysautonomia, and post‑viral illness. Every day, we see the difference that the right support can make — not only for individuals, but for their whānau, workplaces, and the wider health system.

Take Mere, for example. Before finding CCI Support, she was overwhelmed by symptoms no one could fully explain. She bounced between GP visits, urgent care, and online forums, trying to make sense of a body that no longer behaved the way it used to. Through CCI Support, she learned pacing, crash‑prevention, and practical strategies she could use at home. She found a community that understood her — and a path forward that didn’t rely on constant medical appointments.

And then there’s Dr Patel, a GP who first learned about ME/CFS in a single lecture during medical school. Like many clinicians, he wanted to support his patients better but didn’t feel confident navigating such a complex condition. Through CCI Support’s GP resources and clinical packs, he now has tools, language, and guidance that help him walk the journey alongside his patients with far greater clarity. “I finally feel like I can support them in a meaningful way,” he told us.

These stories reflect what we see across Aotearoa:
 when people are empowered with self‑management strategies, education, and community connection, they rely less on emergency care, feel more confident navigating their health, and experience better quality of life.

CCI Support fills a gap that no other part of the health system is resourced to provide. We offer:

• one‑on‑one guidance and symptom‑management education
• pacing and energy‑management support
• peer groups that reduce isolation
• resources for GPs and health professionals
• advocacy for equitable care pathways
• connection for carers and whānau

Our services reduce pressure on GPs, prevent unnecessary hospital visits, and help people stabilise their health at home — but most importantly, they give people hope.

This auction celebrates the creativity and resilience of our members and raises vital funds to keep these services available. Every bid helps us continue supporting people like Mere, and every donation helps equip health professionals like Dr Patel to better serve their patients.

Thank you for standing with us. With your support, we can continue strengthening communities and improving lives across Aotearoa for the next 45 years and beyond.