Sharon's Journey

In July 2019, my mum Sharon went on holiday to see her sister in the North Island. She wasn't feeling too good before she went, however was never going to miss seeing her sister.

One day during this holiday, they went on a little hike, but not for long - mum was struggling to get her breath.

They went home to calm down for a little bit, but mum's heart beat would not slow down and she was still struggling to breathe.

My auntie insisted they go to the hospital - to rule out anything, if something was going on it's better to know and fix it.

I got a call about 10am on the 10th of July. Mum rang to say she had some bad news. She had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia - a very rare form of Leukemia.

Her blood levels were so low that she was immediately admitted to hospital and they proceeded to carry out 6 blood transfusions in one week.

My brother and I could not see her for a further month, and we were lucky enough that mum's work fund-raised to get us to her.

Over the past 5 months, my mum has been put on a mountain of medication, steroids and chemotherapy included (three types at one time).

She is currently in Christchurch, going through her first Stem Cell Transplant. She will have two of these over the course of the next 3-4 months.

Sharon is fighting so hard, and in the photos you will see that she always has a smile on.

I applaud my mum for what she is going through, and yes, there are bad days where bad thoughts float through the air - but the fact that her treatment is working is giving my family hope!

She has been off work for 6 months now, used all her holiday and sick pay. Prognosis was a year, but that's why the doctors are putting her through 2 stem cell transplants back to back.

Sharon has always wanted to travel the world. Her bucket list is full. But looking into the near future, we may only be able to travel as far as Australia - where I grew up half my life, and where her heart lies - the Gold Coast.

I am starting this givealittle for a few reasons.

1. After treatment, if it all goes well, I want to take her to her favourite places. A Gold Coast getaway, making the most of however long is left - although we are hoping a long time!

2. Bills are adding up. Medical costs, although mostly covered by the Government, are putting a strain on the family's budget - and trying to keep the house warm so that mum doesn't get sick, is proving costly on the power bill.

3. Mum has been taking Sea Cucumber as a natural treatment along with Chemotherapy for a few months now. We believe this is what has kept her hair on, kept her ability to get up during the day, and allowed her to immunity to build faster than doctors expected. This costs about $150 a week, which also adds up along with everything else.

So please, feel free to help our little family if you can

There is not much research on Sharon's specific type of cancer, so if you can't help our family, please donate or volunteer with the Cancer Society.