Eight-year-old Te Paea Rameka bravely faced each day of her battle with cancer, enduring 32 days of radiation treatment, 55 days of chemotherapy and hundreds of injections and countless other procedures.

The Child Cancer Foundation is calling on Bay of Plenty residents to take part in its One Day Challenge in July, to raisie funds for brave children fighting cancer and their families.

Child Cancer Foundation ambassador Te Paea Rameka.

'Everyone can get involved – individuals, groups, workplaces, clubs or schools,” says Child Cancer Foundation Lakes and Bays business development manager Delwynne Hahunga

'It's as easy as selecting a fundraising challenge and then choosing a day in July to acknowledge the challenges that children, like Te Paea, face every day.”

Delwynne says three Kiwi children are diagnosed with cancer each week and at any one time the foundation is supporting more than 500 families with children fighting the disease.

For the fourth annual One Day Challenge in July, Delwynne suggests people may like to take part in a group challenge with their workmates or friends, donate a percentage of profits from a service, gain sponsorship for giving up something for the day or hold a mufti-day at school. 'There are so many ways you can challenge yourself on one day this July.

'In past years we've had people hold collection during a dress-up day at work or school, give up coffee or another treat and donate the proceeds or ask customers for a gold coin donation.”

Te Paea, one of the Child Cancer Foundation's 2015 Ambassadors, recently finished her treatment for a Medulloblastoma brain tumour that was diagnosed in September 2013.

At age seven, she began getting headaches at school. Following tests the family was ambulanced from Kaitaia Hospital to Whangarei Hospital where the tumour was identified through a CT scan.

From then 'things were a blur” for mum Arerina Rameka and Te Paea, with an immediate transfer to Auckland's Starship Hospital and straight into the operating theatre to relieve the pressure on Te Paea's brain.

'I guess I was in shock, one minute we were at the doctor's, then the hospital, then onto a helicopter and then in another hospital in a different city with about 20 people in the room with us and then Te Paea was taken into the operating theatre,” says Arerina.

'Everything just happened so fast.”

One of the many people who has helped the family get through was Janet, their Child Cancer Foundation family support coordinator.

'Janet really helped us to keep our heads up, and helped to put smiles on our faces. 'Without the Child Cancer Foundation our journey would have been a lot harder to deal with. It really helped to take away some of the stress,” says Arerina.

The Child Cancer Foundation aims to reduce the impact of cancer by offering services to ensure children and their families are informed and well cared for at every stage of their cancer journey.

The foundation connects with families upon diagnosis and continues to offer support in hospital, at home and in the community.

'We support families, like Te Paea's, for as long as they need us – helping in the most practical and tangible way that is best for them, as no two cancer families' journeys are alike,” says Delwynne.

The foundation receives no direct government funding, so relies on the generosity of Kiwis to support its work.

To register a One Day in July Challenge, see www.childcancer.org.nz or to make an instant $3 donation to the foundation text BEAD to 206.