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Nurse planned to miss graduation to run for charity, so her friends brought graduation to her in touching ceremony

May 5, 2021

Charity co-founder Maia Thackham was going to miss her graduation to run a fundraiser marathon for victims of abuse and poverty.

Chloe Saxton and Maia Thackham are best mates. They’ve banded together to create outRun, a charity that raises money for children and families who are affected by abuse.

Their aim is to better the lives of these families, and they’re planning to raise money by getting people to get active and participate in community sporting events. 

Saxton, 21, is a commerce major from Otago University. Thackham, 22, is a paediatric registered nurse. She's the third generation in her family to have chosen nursing as a career.

The pair are planning to tackle the Rotorua Marathon this Saturday, and they’ve set up a Givealittle page to raise money .

Saxton said they wanted to be “running and having a direct impact”. 

But there was some bad news. 

“My friend Olivia sent me a text one day and was like, ‘I’ve got some bad news … our graduation is the same day as the marathon,’” Thackham said. 

“For a few seconds, my heart just broke. Then I kind of just thought, why would I pull out of the marathon if it embodies everything that I want to be as a nurse?”

So, Thackham’s friends brought the graduation to her live on Breakfast.

Watch the touching ceremony in the video above. 

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