Eva McGauley is terminally ill. But she's determined to fulfil her dying wish to help others.
While any decent-minded person would forgive the 17-year-old New Zealander, who has a rare form of cancer, for focusing her energy on herself, she is devoting her life to empowering young people to make a difference in their communities.
![Eva McGauley, who despite having a rare form of cancer has launched her own charity to empower other young people.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170701004458im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/1/8/z/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx10jz.png/1498743895764.jpg)
"Everyone must handle [their sickness] differently. I wasn't very worried about myself. I was more worried about the people around me who loved me," she said.
Rather than pursuing personal goals like travel or going to university, Eva ramped up her charity efforts and began talking to school groups about her volunteer work.
![Eva McGauley poses in a campaign for Lonely lingerie, which is helping her kick-start her charity, Eva's Wish by ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170701004458im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/1/8/f/2/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx10jz.png/1498743895764.jpg)
"I got the message that … young people wished they could do what I do but have no idea where to start. They need help with the first step, which can often be the hardest," she said.
What she realised was young people like her needed their own organisation in New Zealand. So she created Eva's Wish, which had its launch on Thursday night, Wellington time.
"I always thought I would end up working at the United Nations or on human rights. Me getting sick didn't make me want to give up .. it made me want to do more and do it faster," she said.
Since she began volunteering at Wellington Rape Crisis as a 14-year-old, Eva has been committed to helping victims of sexual abuse and violence.
![Lonely lingerie has previously featured Girls stars Jemima Kirke and Lena Dunham.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170701004458im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/1/j/2/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx10jz.png/1498743895764.jpg)
"When I began to see those [statistics] become my friends and the people I love I realised this is something that will affect my life and the people I love in a bad way," she said.
Last year, she helped raise $NZ56,000 ($53,543) for HELP, an organisation that helps sexual abuse and assault survivors of all ages.
In early 2002, at age 15, Eva was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, which in Australia affects about one in 200,000 people.
In 2009, 122 people in Australia were diagnosed with the illness, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing.
After a five-month stay in a Christchurch hospital, in October 2015 Eva and her family thought she had beaten the disease. But the doctors made a mistake, and she was told her cancer was terminal.
In the launch phase, Eva's wish will focus on three projects, including the creation of training videos to educate young people on fundraising and volunteering.
Eva was also pivotal in helping establish New Zealand's first text-based sexual assault counselling hotline, which goes live later this year.
To help Eva achieve her goals, New Zealand lingerie company Lonely, famous for its body positive campaigns and image, photographed Eva for a special campaign. The company will also donate all proceeds on June 29 to Eva's Wish.
Eva said the experience was fun, despite a few awkward moments.
"We were in the middle of a park and there were lots of other people … we got some strange looks but it was fun," she said.
In March, the brand received worldwide attention when it cast a 56-year-old model to showcase its autumn/winter range. And last year, its campaign featured Girls stars Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke.
To support Eva's Wish, visit evaswish.com from 6.30pm AEST, or via Lonely lingerie.