Please help support Hennie and her family on her cancer journey.

Hennie is a young wife and mother of two daughters, 4 and 10.

Her arduous cancer journey started in September 2025, with pain in her lower back that gradually intensified and moved to weakness in the whole right leg.

After several trips to various doctors and to the hospital emergency department, within just a few weeks, she had to undergo an urgent spinal cord operation (due to cauda equina syndrome) to untangle the nerves and decompress the spine. 3 days after, she was ultimately diagnosed with an aggressive and advanced stage multiple myeloma, which is cancer of the bone marrow. There is no cure for multiple myeloma. Chemotherapy had to be started immediately.

A few days after she was discharged, the pain continued. An MRI was done and a sizeable tumor was seen growing at the base of her spine, which needed immediate attention and action. From there, no time was wasted and she was transported to Waikato Hospital for specialised care and urgent radiotherapy.

As part of her cancer treatment plan, she is slated to undergo chemotherapy for 6-8 months, after which, a tandem bone marrow transplant is to follow.

Her husband Chris, has been by her side all throughout this harrowing ordeal, being her only caretaker at home (showering, toileting, cooking, etc.) and hospital visits . All these while looking after their kids and taking care of the day to day household work, and so unfortunately Chris has to forego working to be able to fulfil all these tasks for his wife and the family.