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✨ Do right for the Wrights ✨

  • Timeline of events

      17 December 2025
    Posted by: Shahan Wright

    September – November 2024 Recurrent chest infections, night sweats, feeling fluey and some wild weight loss. It felt like I had a graze on the back of my lung (right at the top of the lower lobe, right lung). Different doctors prescribed antibiotics back to back, and I’d get better for a few weeks, then go back with the same symptoms.

    December 2024 Chest x-ray, pneumonia, no follow up.

    January-April 2025 Feeling relatively good, got MARRIED, started studying, happy days.

    May 2025 Fluey feeling came back, found a new doctor at my medical practice who had seen a lesion on my December x-ray that she wanted to investigate further. Another X-ray and then a follow up one in July.

    August 2025 Chest CT, lung function tests, then urgent bronchoscopy for biopsies.

    5th September ’25 Diagnosis, 26mm bronchial carcinoid tumour, lower lobe, right lung. Stage 1 lung cancer. Thankfully these tumours are slow growing and localised so a lobectomy (ie removing the lobe) should be sufficient treatment. Dunedin hospital’s cardiothoracic team would be looking after me (yahoo Dunedin!!!).

    30th September ’25 Successful lobectomy with the most experienced cardiothoracic surgeon in the country, and an amazing team.

    10th October '25 Lymph node results back, all clear, no chemo or radiation! :)

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  • 2 month post-op update

      17 December 2025
    Posted by: Shahan Wright
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    Kia ora koutou,

    We are absolutely overwhelmed at the generosity being shown to lil old me down here.

    I have been out of hospital for 2 months today, woohoo! Physically, I’m so much more able to do things than I was last month, I realised I can reach my hand up to my head to wash my hair the other day and that was cause for celebration. I’ve been receiving reflexology fortnightly to help me recalibrate my body systems, which have been thrown outta whack by recent events and I’ve got some beautiful humans helping me with some energy healing too.

    The post-op fatigue has definitely lessened and I’m not needing afternoon naps every day anymore, unless it’s Saturday and we’ve been to swimming lessons with the kids.

    While my physical and spiritual cups are being tended to, I’m feeling incredibly lonely and isolated here in Invercargill, having been thrown this curve ball has really taught me I need to ask for help, so…

    “HELP!!” Please, if you have a free weekend, or couple of days to come and spend some time with my beautiful family and me, get in touch. We’d love to see you. Nothing beats a hug from a friend. Failing that, send me a message to see how I’m doing. Space is nice but I’m a people person so I love it when people check in on me.

    Summer is here and I've heard the Catlins are beautiful at this time of year! X

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  • 1 month post op update

      31 October 2025
    Posted by: Shahan Wright
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    It's so good to be home with my beautiful family! We've been showered with support from near and far. Hands on help from Oma, aunties and uncle Tron doing kindy runs, supermarket missions and helping keep the house in order has been massively appreciated.

    I'm doing my best to adjust to recovery life. It's hard coming back to the place that I'm used to rushing around and having to slooooow right down. If you know either of my parents you'll understand that it's not in my DNA to sit still 😂. I got my last sutures out last week and lurrrrve my scars 😍

    I get out for a walk every day, if not around the hood, at least around our beautiful garden. The shock of this whole ordeal is finally starting to wear off and it's tough, so it's a good thing I am too. Arohanui 💜

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  • Day 17 Update

      15 October 2025
    Posted by: Shahan Wright
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    Last Friday the doctors injected some of my blood into the tubing that my chest drain ran from, in the hope that it would clot and seal the remaining air leaks on my lung. Thanks to some great affirmations from my family, and the magic of modern medicine, it worked!

    Yesterday after a couple of trial runs, the doctors decided to remove the chest drain that's been in since the surgery, and after a final X-ray this morning, I received my discharge papers!

    I'm heading back to Southland tomorrow, so looking forward to seeing my darlings and sleeping in my own bed 🛏️.

    Image: my final breakfast in hospital, supplied by my darling Mum, who has brought me breakfast every morning for the last 17 days ❤️

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  • Day 12 update

      12 October 2025
    Posted by: Shahan Wright
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    Kia Ora lovelies!

    Thank you all for the tautoko, I'm feeling so held by our awesome community.

    The lobectomy happened on the 30th September, and was complicated by how much inflammation was in and around it.

    I got my first chest drain out 3 or 4 days post op, but the second one is still in. There's an air leak in my chest cavity and until it heals the drain keeps me safe. We're waiting on results of a 'blood patch' to hopefully heal over the air leaks from inside.

    Arohanui xx

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