Sam Gattsche, a young Palmerston North builder, passed away from melanoma in September 2023 at just 28 years of age. He’d noticed a mole on his back in 2022 and despite Sam trusting his gut and persisting to get it checked, tragically it was later confirmed as melanoma, and went on to claim his life, far too early.
Like anyone who has known such grief, or lost a loved one too soon, you will know that it changes your perspective on life. You realise that tragedies happen every day, that our time here is limited, and it matters what we do. – Michael Gattsche
It was especially heart breaking for Sam’s brother Michael, and Michael’s wife Sophie, who were motivated to do something that had the power to prevent other lives being lost to melanoma. With huge courage and commitment, the couple organised a fundraiser and melanoma awareness event in Palmerston North which took place on one year on from Sam’s passing.
Michael spoke on the night;
We had two reasons for wanting to host this event. First up, we wanted to have a big party to celebrate Sam and also, to raise money for a cause that matters.”
“He was one of those people who had an electric energy, someone you always wanted to be around. Sam and I were pretty much inseparable all our lives, and even shared a room until we were 21,” said Michael, who was also Sam’s business partner.
“If this fundraiser can encourage one person to get a spot check, and get their melanoma detected early, we could save a life. And that really does mean something.”
More than 230 people gathered, $20,000 worth of items were donated for a live auction, 33 local businesses chipped in with sponsorship, and friends and family donated cash, illustrating the profound impact and ripple effect of Sam’s death across the Palmerston North community.
The generosity shown far exceeded Michael’s and Sophie’s expectations with a total of $40,285 raised for Melanoma New Zealand.
We thought we’d raise about $15,000 but we managed to raise heaps more than that which is so cool,” said Sophie.
“So many people have messaged Mike afterwards saying just how much they were impacted by the event. When Mike did his speech, there was honestly not a dry eye in the room.”
Nurse Educator Gill Rolfe, who represented Melanoma New Zealand at the event, said it was a privilege to be part of it and a very humbling experience. Gill’s vast experience as a specialist dermatology nurse was put to use and she spoke about the importance of prevention and early detection, and many guests took the opportunity to get a free spot check on the night.