Viral TikTok sees tens of thousands of dollars raised for New Zealand mum with terminal cancer

When a Kiwi mum with terminal cancer gave a man a few dollars at the supermarket, she wasn’t expecting tens of thousands in return.

A small act of kindness by a New Zealand woman with terminal cancer has led to tens of thousands of dollars in donations to fund her bucket list.

Mother of two Adele, 37, was approached by Australian content creator Samuel Weidenhofer at a Pak’nSave supermarket and asked if she had any change to help him buy a can of baby food.

Adele and her husband agreed, leading to a candid exchange with Weidenhofer in which she revealed she only had eight months to live.

Weidenhofer, 21, has amassed almost seven million followers on TikTok for his charitable content, which often sees him surprising compassionate strangers with cash after they agree to help him in a variety of situations.

The video with Adele, posted to his TikTok on Wednesday, has since garnered almost 400,000 views and 41,000 likes at the time of writing.

The clip sees him approaching people at Pak’nSave asking for a few dollars to buy the baby food. The first two men decline, but Adele immediately says she and her husband are able to help.

“Why would you help?” Weidenhofer asks, to which her husband replies, “Because the struggle is real.”

“People need help and we know that. Sometimes you just need a helping hand,” Adele adds.

Weidenhofer then asks if Adele is willing to speak about what she and her family are currently going through.

“Everything – terminal cancer while raising two young babies. One is 2, the other turns 1 in two weeks’ time,” she replies.

Adele explains she has been given 18 months to live, and was in her 10th month at the time the video was filmed.

“Every day is a gift,” she says to Weidenhofer.

“I’m glad I got to experience being a mum before I die.”

Her dream is to go to New York with her best friend, she says, noting the two had “spoken about it for over 20 years”.

Weidenhofer then surprises her with $500 cash, to which Adele, visibly overcome with emotion, responds: “Why can’t there be more people like you?”

The two embrace, with Adele explaining they found the cancerous lump in her neck when her son was just two weeks old.

“I knew when I felt it, I was dying.”

Weidenhofer has since kick-started a GoFundMe page for Adele and her family, which is linked via his TikTok for viewers to donate to.

At the time of writing, Weidenhofer’s fundraiser has amassed almost A$24,000 ($26,400) in donations to fund Adele’s bucket list, with over 930 people putting their money towards the cause.

“Adele was diagnosed with stage-four cancer (bowel and lymph nodes, BRAF mutation) 10 months ago at the age of 36. With a loving husband and two young babies (now 2 years old and 1 year old), Adele was devasted [sic],” Weidenhofer wrote on the fundraiser.

“Unfortunately, her cancer is incurable and her timeframe to enjoy life is unknown. Recently, she has found out her cancer has spread even further to her shoulder bone and has had surgery to rectify it. The recovery of this surgery alone will not be easy with two small children.

“Her dream now is to create as many special memories as possible with her friends and family. This means ticking off those bucket-list items while she still can,” he added.

“We are talking New York, Melbourne shopping trip, Rarotonga with family, Milford Sound, other experiences, adventures, dinners out ... All the things they don’t usually have the time or money for [sic].

“Please help us help Adele spend time with her favourite people in the most beautiful places.”

As New Zealand is currently not a country supported by GoFundMe, Weidenhofer noted the funds will be transferred to his Australian account before being sent directly to Adele on November 1.

Viewers have flooded the comments section of the video with messages of support and solidarity.

“Grew up with Adele. So devastating,” one commented, with a second adding: “When she said terminal cancer, it sent chills down my spine. My dad is terminal. They gave him less than six months to live, it’s now been three years ... make sure she doesn’t give up.”

“I hope all her dreams come true,” a third declared, while a fourth commented: “Donated $200, hope she gets to go [to New York].”

Weidenhofer confirmed he had been in New Zealand and was planning to visit more regularly.

“Yes, I came to NZ!” he replied to one viewer. “And I promise you I’ll be coming back regularly.”

“Such beautiful people in [your] amazing country.”

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.