Help Tawhai and whānau to achieve his bucket list!

In 2019 my husband was in the prime of his career, working as a very successful and skilled sheep Shearer, until one day he suddenly collapsed which created a ripple of further collapses. After multiple tests and procedures he was diagnosed with an incurable cancer called Multiple myeloma. This came as a huge shock to our whānau as he was only 30 years old at the time.

Multiple myeloma is a rare blood cancer that originates from malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Healthy plasma cells produce antibodies to fight infection, but cancerous myeloma cells multiply uncontrollably and produce abnormal, non-functional antibodies called M proteins. These M proteins can cause organ damage throughout the body, particularly affecting the bones and kidneys.

Since diagnosis Tawhai has had several rounds of chemotherapy and 2 stem cell transplants with 2 relapses. Recently he suffered a severely broken arm due to the cancer creating lesions in his upper right arm, causing him to have surgery. Our most recent talk with his haemotologist has come with disheartening news, the treatment he is currently on ( lenolidomide) is not working, and he is being changed to the only other funded treatment ( pomalidomide). This givealittle page has been created to help Tawhai achieve his bucket list, to make core memories with whānau particularly myself and our 4 children 16,11,10&9.

Tawhai is the most loving dad and partner and our hearts are breaking knowing we have little time left with him.