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Help NZ pianist afford cancer treatment

  • Katherine's obituary in the Waikato Times

      7 April 2026
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    Shortly after Mum's funeral, we were sought out by Waikato Times obituary writer Richard Swainson (who also runs the Auteur House, Kirikiriroa/Hamilton's last DVD rental store).

    He asked if we would allow him to write her obituary for the WT, saying "Her contribution to Waikato music and education more than warrants such recognition. It would be a privilege to help celebrate her life."

    He sent me a physical copy of his beautifully written obituary which arrived in the post yesterday. I'm sure many won't have seen it who will want to, as we were so overwhelmed in the week following her passing that we didn't get onto putting an obituary for her anywhere else.

    I think it was a surprise to many attending her funeral to hear about her other strengths outside of music. Especially her gymnastics prowess (any possible career in it curtailed by injury), and her immense scholastic success. I often forgot about these things myself.

    Anyway, if you are a subscriber to the Waikato Times, you can find the obituary at the link below (if not, and you aren't able to zoom into this picture enough to read it, it's very cheap to subscribe, and you can easily cancel afterwards).

    https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/360952879/pianist-who-was-superstar-so-much-more-her-music-katherine-austin-1961-2026

    Arohanui e hoa mā, and thank you for your continued messages of aroha and tautoko. We are still struggling to engage/reply but we will slowly get there.

    Elani

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  • Funeral livestream link, see the previous update for funeral details

      30 January 2026

    Kia ora anō friends and whānau, Mum's funeral will be livestreamed at the link below from 10:50am NZT this coming Monday for those who can't make it:

    https://247.stream/rooms/austin

    The pre-service photo reel and intro music performances will actually start at 10:30am, so some of that will be missed by the livestream, but the actual service will commence at 11am.

    The link will remain available for sometime after the service (several weeks I think), so there will be the opportunity to watch it at a time suitable to you. ❤️

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  • Funeral details: Monday 2 Feb, 11am at St Matthews in the City

      29 January 2026

    Kia ora anō dearest friends and whānau,

    The funeral will be:

    Monday the 2nd of February 2026

    St Matthews in the City, 132 Hobson Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010

    There will be music from 10:30am as people arrive and find seats, service from 11am, followed by a reception.

    You know Katherine, come dressed in your brightest colours!

    Please bring a flower or fern from your garden to place on/in the casket

    We'd like to ask that instead of flowers (though Mum loved them), you consider using that money to donate to Mercy Hospice. They are simply incredible, and helped us hugely. You don't realise the importance of such a service until you are in need of it, and donations will help it to remain a free one.

    https://mercyhospice.org.nz/donate/

    Important things to note:

    The casket may be open during the service and prior to the reception, we will do our best to try make it so you cannot see into the casket unless you make the decision to do so.

    St Matts is in the middle of Auckland city, a short walk from the Sky Tower. Since it will be a Monday, parking will likely be scarce but there are parking buildings nearby (Sky City has many parks) as well as a small amount of on-street parking. Please do your research ahead of time and arrive with enough time to find a park and walk to the church. Public transport and carpooling are also options we strongly suggest.

    The service will be live-streamed. The link will be posted to the give-a-little page under updates when it is ready.

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  • For those who would like to visit Katherine prior to the funeral

      29 January 2026

    Mōrena ki a koutou,

    For those who are wanting to come and privately say their final goodbyes to Mum, we are opening our home from 1pm to 6pm today and tomorrow only (29th and 30th). She is in her beloved music room, so you may also briefly play to her if you'd like.

    Come with time to wait if need be, as we aren't sure how many will come. If there are others waiting when you go in to be with her, please be considerate with your time.

    Please see the next update for funeral details.

    Ngā mihi nui,

    Elani

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  • Katherine Austin has passed away

      27 January 2026

    Kia ora friends near and far,

    At 12:23pm today our darling, vibrant and loving Katherine drew her last breath.

    Since October 2023 she has fought determinedly and tirelessly. She did everything a person could possibly do to combat her diagnosis, and pushed through to the very end despite a constant onslaught of truly awful luck. She is now at rest, and no longer in pain and discomfort, and Dad and I are now busy with the dreaded preparations.

    Those in Auckland are welcome to join us at St Matthew's in the City for a funeral service this coming Monday. The details of which will be confirmed and shared to this page tomorrow. The service will also be live-streamed to Mum's many friends and whānau overseas who aren't able to make it - and you best believe there will be no shortage of music!

    Through this grim time, we remain incredibly grateful to everyone who donated to this fundraiser, as the remainder of the money is allowing us to give her the best send off we possible can. One befitting such a warm, generous and well-loved person as she.

    As I always say, it will take a long time before we are able to answer messages, but we feel the great aroha of our community wrapped around us. This will help us in the crushing grief we feel. My beautiful mum lived with zest and enthusiasm, and one day - when we feel we can breathe again - we will do our best to follow in her stead. As she would want us to.

    Arohanui,

    Elani

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    • 28/01/2026 by Gina Sanders

      Our hearts are breaking with you, Elani and Jim. The profound loss on so many levels is immeasurable. We are blessed to have had her as a colleague, artist, teacher and friend and her tremendous legacy will thrive. With aroha and support always, Gina Sanders and Josh Helm and family.

    • 28/01/2026 by Tony

      Hi Elani,

      I express my warm and sincere condolences to Katherine’s loss. She has always been a bright, vibrant, enthusiastic and kind teacher who has always been passionate about the music that she teaches. I have always been attracted to her warm and loving personality along with her passion to music. I hope that she no longer experiences pain and discomfort any longer and she rests in peace. Yours sincerely, Tony

  • Mum’s sad news - other ways to connect

      26 October 2025

    Kia ora anō,

    Thank you for the outpouring of love. I’m trying to communicate as much of it as I can to mum, but of course it is very confronting for her. If you don’t have our address (I haven’t posted it publicly here for obvious reasons) but want to post something to us send me an email (in previous update) along with your connection to mum so I have an idea who you are.

    Another way to connect is to send a short video of yourself to my email or on instagram/WhatsApp/messenger, and I can show it to Mum. Her attention span is very short these days, but if they are 2-4 minutes she will be able to pay attention. Please speak slowly and clearly, as her brain processing speed is much slower than average. I will do my best to show her all of them, but emotional things exhaust mum incredibly quickly so please appear as chipper as you can be.

    If this update doesn’t make sense, please read the previous update.

    Ngā mihi,

    Elani

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  • Devastating news

      24 October 2025

    Hi all.

    Mum had a CT scan on the 1st of September, and a week later we learned that the cancer has come back at an incredibly aggressive rate, at many places in her body.

    There was a strong recommendation of no further treatment from her oncologist and other medical professionals consulted due to the risks, and after some deliberation, she decided to not push for any more treatment. Her oncologist thinks it highly unlikely she will make it to Christmas.

    Of course this has all been a gut-wrenching shock. For a time we were paralysed by the unexpected devastation of this news, but we are starting to plan and get on with it all now, whilst trying to enjoy what time we have left with her.

    Please be aware that we are not able to answer many messages right now. We'd like to ask that instead of sending messages, which pile up and become truly overwhelming (whānau and closest friends exempt), you instead send/drop off a card or letter, which we can read to her. We are starting to limit visits and calls from those who aren't close friends and family, but if you're desperate to see or speak with her, or are far away, get in contact with me via my email elanilanella1709@gmail.com.

    Arohanui ki a koutou. I'm heartbroken to be the bearer of this horrific news, especially after so much suffering, and so much hope. We will forever be grateful to all of you for your support, and for the joy and comfort it brought Mum. The leftover funds will ease funeral costs stress hugely.

    Elani

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    • 24/10/2025 by Karen

      Thankyou Elani. So appreciate hearing albeit very sad news. Thinking of you with love and good thoughts for what you are doing to care and love your mother.

  • It's discharge day! (Plus cancer update)

      3 July 2025

    Kia ora e te whānau,

    After 89 days in hospital Mum is finally coming home! It's quite a complex business, as she is still in need of near-constant care and assistance moving around. Dad and I will be her live-in carers amid our work, as well as someone coming in twice a day for daily hygiene needs.

    All her vitals and blood tests are stable enough for her to come home now, what's left is physical rehab, and she has a long way to go until she is independent. We don't know how much better she will get due to the brain damage, but we are just glad to not live out of the hospital any longer.

    More big (good) news: about 3 weeks ago mum had a CT scan to see what the cancer has been doing in the months she has been in hospital, and I'm very pleased to report that the cancer in her lungs has continued to shrink (from 10mmx10mm to 6mmx10mm) while we have been here!! So even though the immunotherapy was what put her in hospital, it has continued to fight the cancer! Yay!

    I'm closing donations because we will not be going back onto this immunotherapy, though I will keep posting updates here. All remaining donations at present will be very helpful for use for her rehab, home equipment, and her care costs in general. We remain ever grateful for all your support be it financial or vocal. We are also incredibly grateful to the nurses and staff in Ward 64 in Akl City Hospital, who have been so good about us being here 24/7 and have taken such incredible care of Mum.

    Arohanui,

    Elani

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    • 03/07/2025 by Hua

      Great News!!! I will keep your mum in my prayers! 🙏🙏🙏

  • Update cont’d + concert today!

      8 June 2025
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    Continued:

    All decisions surrounding what is next for mum’s cancer treatment are on hold until she is out of hospital and stable. We have stopped the Keytruda and Lenvatinib and don’t plan to go back on it after this reaction.

    Warwick (Mum's brother) has been of tremendous help, and has been with us for most of the past month and a bit Mum has been in hospital (with some help from brother Mark too), and we are grateful to all who have offered to sit by her bedside and keep her company when we can't be there.

    Today some of mum’s past students are putting a concert on for her called Sounds of Gratitude, please come along if you are able - see the poster for details. We are hoping to get mum to the concert from the hospital, which will be a very big to-do, but if all goes well she will be there. She is much changed, so if you will be at this concert please be prepared. She is looking forward to chatting with people but she gets exhausted quickly so we may need to leave soon after the concert (she is also not very used to sitting upright which will tire her out also).

    Thank you all for your continued tautoko and care for mum. We feel all your aroha 🧡

    Elani

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    • 09/06/2025 by Hilary

      Elani I very much appreciate hearing how Katherine is getting on.

      You may be interested to look at seronarameka.com, Dr William Li’s videos on UTube & Reversal Nz on Facebook.

      Sending lots of love & strength to Katherine.

      Hil H

      Also you will all most likely be aware of Dr Mathew Phillips of Waikato Hospital’s work.

      Dr William Li’s research is more to do with the healing powers of different foods, like Green Tea.

      Limiting carbs seem to have had a lot of success as you will see on Serona Rameka’s website & Dr Mathew Phillips.

      🌷🌿🎶

  • K’s hospital update

      8 June 2025

    Ata mārie e te whānau,

    An update is well overdue, aroha mai for this. Mum is still in hospital but is slowly stabilising. The doctors seem to have settled on the conclusion that this is the result of a severely adverse reaction to the immunotherapy she started recently. A reaction this bad is rare, and it has had many doctors and oncologists scratching their heads. We have been closely watching her temperature (which is still spiking most days), her blood pressure (which is stabilising enough for her to become a little bit more mobile), and her blood test results (sodium and liver have been particular focuses over the past 3 or so weeks but as they've been focussed on with treatment they've been stabilising too).

    This reaction has, very unfortunately, caused some brain trauma, which has meant that she is having to sort of relearn how to walk, and really focus very hard to get her limbs to do what she wants them to do. We won't be able to get her home until she is independent enough to walk around with the aid of a walker as dad and I won't be able to be there with her as 24/7 carers, and the doctors won't let her home until her temp and blood pressure and things like that have been stable for a good while, so she will be in hospital for a while yet.

    To be continued :)

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    • 09/06/2025 by Karen

      Thankyou for the update, it helps to know news of Kstherine.

  • Katherine is in hospital

      7 May 2025

    Kia ora to our wonderful supportive community,

    As some of you have already heard through the grapevine, Mum has been in hospital for around 2.5 weeks now. She was admitted on the 19th of April after she fainted and hit her head, after having a fever for a week. The wound on her head was small and has healed fine, but her fever has continued, and she has been having big swings in blood pressure, which has caused a big loss of independence for her.

    This has proven to be a bit of a medical mystery to hospital staff, and they have been consistently testing various things to figure out where the high fevers, tremors and the blood pressure swings are coming from. It is looking likely that it could be either a particularly extreme reaction to the immunotherapy treatment, or something that they haven't found yet, as her symptoms are constantly shifting.

    She is often not lucid and very confused, and sleeps much of the time. A week after arriving at Akl City Hospital things were looking up, and we were even able to play cards with her, but over the past week she has deteriorated dramatically.

    We are limiting her visitors, as she is much changed and many have gone into shock upon seeing her like this, and she can only really handle 1-2 non-family visits a day. Dad and I are taking it in turns to be with her each night and through the day when we aren't working and are very overwhelmed so please be patient if you contact us.

    I will post here if anything changes,

    Elani

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    • 07/05/2025 by Hua

      I am very sorry to hear that. 😞 I will keep Katherine in my prayers. Hope she gets better soon.🌷🌷🌷🙏🙏🙏

    • 07/05/2025 by Hilary

      Sending you all every ounce of love, strength & peace possible.

      And particularly to dear Katherine who I had the pleasure to get know a long time ago.

      With lots of love always. Hil

      🙏 🌸🌺🌷🌿

      .

    • 09/05/2025 by Maria

      Appreciate the update Elani, you and your beautiful mum are in our thoughts all the time.

    • 22/05/2025 by Hua

      Dear Elani, Can I make an appointment for visiting your mum Katherine in the hospital? student Hua Li

    • 31/05/2025 by Karen

      Hello Elani. Is there an update on your Mums progress? I hope you are taking care of yourself also during this challenging time..

  • Sunday’s concert

      5 April 2025

    For anyone wanting to come to the celebration concert tomorrow, it is at 6 Symonds Street (in Auckland). It can be a bit confusing to get to, but I’m sure there will be signage (you enter and then go down some flights of stairs I believe). There is a bit of street parking and also a paid parking area beside the venue. Entry by koha 😊

    Unfortunately for those of you outside of Auckland, it won’t be live-streamed.

    Looking forward to seeing some of you there 💌

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    • 08/05/2025 by Lindsay

      I'm really sorry the hear that Katherine is so unwell at the moment. I just hope that the symptoms she is experiencing at the moment are temporary, and that she can continue her journey to recovery.

  • Celebration concert!

      31 March 2025
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    Kia ora everyone!

    Stephen De Pledge and Mum’s colleagues at the School of Music at Auckland Uni have organised a concert in Mum’s honour, as a tribute to her contributions to the Aotearoa classical music scene, and to the many students who have passed through her guidance. She will be performing, as will some of her colleagues and students. It is this coming Sunday the 6th of April, at the School of Music at 5pm.

    There is no ticket needed to get in to the concert, so I suggest getting there early to make sure you get a seat!

    I’d like to invite you all as a very small way we can thank you for the donations, love and support you all have given to us over the course of this year and beyond. We have now surpassed the new goal which is just sensational. Thank you so much to all of you!

    Any remaining funds will be spent on the various things she does to ensure the immunotherapy works as well as it can (her dietician, Pilates, supplements etc). She has had two treatments now, and is feeling the side effects but is grateful that it means it must be doing something! She is tired but has all guns blazing to prepare for this concert, so she can give her best to you all.

    Arohanui,

    Elani

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  • Change in Lenvatinib fees

      11 March 2025

    Kia ora koutou, thank you again to all who have been and still are donating!

    We have just found out that the cost of Lenvatinib (the oral drug) is 2x the amount we were initially quoted, and will be around $14,000 extra, on top of the original $70.6k, so I have changed the goal to hopefully help us pay for this. We are already very close to this due to the generosity of everyone continuing to donate past the original goal, so we are hopeful!

    Whether we hit it or not, we remain most grateful for not just the financial support to get mum these treatments, but also the outpouring of aroha (love) and tautoko (support) from our communities. We will never in our lives forget this kindness and generosity. Mum has said that feels as hard to believe and take in as her initial diagnosis was, which means that she is overwhelmed with positivity and gratitude.

    Ever since I launched this page and she has seen how much traction it’s received, she has had a new spring in her step. Not to be cliche but she really has a new lease on life. Most people never experience this outpouring of love, because it only ever truly happens after someone has passed away. The fact that she, someone who is so people-loving and oriented, is getting to experience and feel this while she’s alive, is the most phenomenal gift. For her and for us too.

    Thank you always,

    Elani

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  • Ngā mihi NUI! Thank you SO much!

      27 February 2025

    We absolutely cannot believe our goal has been surpassed! Never did we think this would happen. Thanks to your gorgeous kindness, Mum was able to have her first treatment yesterday, and will be able to get all the treatments she needs.

    We have been gobsmacked by the love and support pouring forth from our communities, and even from people we don't know personally, or from the other side of the world! It's hard to comprehend, and all we can say is just a resounding THANK YOU. This all has really bolstered Mum's spirit, she has been feeling so much more positive, and the energy being sent from everyone's thoughts and prayers is emotionally and spiritually lifting her up.

    Any donations past our goal will be used to help pay for supplements to make sure she gets all the nutrients she needs, and any on top of that will be put towards a trip to see her whānau (family), in the northern hemisphere (provided she is well enough), after her treatment finishes.

    On a personal note, you have given me the chance to have more time with my mum. There is no greater gift. I will gladly pay this forward for the rest of my life.

    Ngā mihi NUI ki a koutou katoa,

    Elani

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