About
Image Above: My daughter & I. Mt Maunganui, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, NZ
Images Above: Some of the special moments I shared with Kristie.
Hello! I am Melanie Quin, apparently I am the CEO aka Magic Maker of the 'A Day of Magic Charitable Trust'.
This charity was born when I heard of Kristie Purton's unfortunate & devastating news that her lungs were no longer able to serve her & she was given only 4 weeks to live. I felt such a strong & natural connection with Kristie due to her incredible love & zest for life, her sporting background, competitive nature, ambition, strength & that she gave everything 100%. She proved to her children that you never give up because you can still live a positive & active life no matter what obstacles you face or receive.
"When I met Kristie I found another sister to share this universe with"
My natural reflex was to contact Kristie & ask her directly "What is something that you have never done, but you have always wanted
to do?" Kristie's response "Fly in a helicopter!" I remember just saying"I'll see what I can do!" Not knowing what I was going to be able to achieve for Kristie but I just knew I had to try something.
After 3 days of not eating or sleeping I somehow managed to create, plan, deliver & co-ordinate what I called at the time 'A Day of Magic' ... that's what I thought it was 'magic' ... so that's what I called it. Kristie was not gifted one helicopter ride but 2 along with so much more which she was able to share with her closest family & friends from beginning to end. I reached out for support & generosity from those that I had formed strong relationships with in the Bay of Plenty & I hoped would trust my vision. With this mutual trust & respect I was able to gift Kristie a day full of surprises for everyone involved & the rare opportunity to celebrate life in a way that her & her family would never have been able to achieve on their own in the precious time they had available with one another.
With a professional photographer & videographer creating their own magic on the day we were able to capture those 'out of the box' lasting memories to gift to Kristie's family to relive for a lifetime!
The morning after 'A Day of Magic' I woke feeling blown away by my natural abilities, strengths, motivation, enthusiasm & my sincere love for people & their happiness. Then ultimately realising that all of these attributes put together is capable of achieving incredible things. I was able to provide Kristie this unique farewell gift. To see the smiles on all of her loved ones faces, it was truely magical & a moment in time I will never ever forget. From that moment I began wondering how I would be able to gift this to others. I then went straight to visit Kristie & her family to provide them the professional videography & photography from Kristie's day & I asked her "What do you think about the thought of me setting up a charity in honour of you to provide this experience & opportunity for others who are suffering a terminal illness & are facing end of life?" Kristie's response "Please Mel, you have to ... you were born to do this! My children now have these unforgettable memories of us together ... thank you!"
Kristie passed just 2 weeks later & her legacy now lives on! Within 6 months I dived into the unknown & formed 'A Day of Magic Charitable Trust' - just as I promised. I am now putting my heart & soul into the nurturing of this trust every single day to ensure that all New Zealanders suffering from a terminal illness & facing end of life can be spoilt to their own 'A Day of Magic' to share with their family & friends just like Kristie.
LET'S CELEBRATE LIFE TOGETHER, BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE.
Melanie x
'Why do we wait for a funeral to come together?
Why do we not celebrate life while we are all still here to enjoy it?!'
Our Mission
To provide ‘A Day of Magic’ to anyone who is suffering from a terminal illness & facing end of life with the help & support of the community.
We believe life is to be celebrated, while we still can.
Our Vision
Is to introduce a ‘celebrate life’ day that in time becomes as traditional as what we all know as the funeral. Bringing people together, while we are still here.
A rare opportunity to celebrate life, bring people together & to create lasting memories before we say goodbye ... before it is too late.