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Support Alex's Cancer Treatment and help his family relocate to Canada with him.

  • From healing to here!

      30 July 2025

    Hopefully, our last update for a while – Alex is on the up! He’s all-in on recovery: training, resting, eating well, and embracing every tool he can (yes, including saunas and hyperbaric chambers!). As a family, we’re soaking up the now and saying YES to life wherever we can.

    We want to say thank you – properly. So, two ways to celebrate and connect:

    🎉 Join us in Wellington – Saturday 4th October, 7pm at Coene’s, Oriental Parade. Get your babysitters sorted and make your way to Coene’s to raise a glass with friends and fam while we give thanks to YOU for your unwavering support on our cancer journey and celebrate the here and now together.. RSVP by August 22nd with numbers attending – space is limited! Email celebratingalex25@gmail.com

    💬 Tune in for Alex’s reflections – Saturday 16 August, 11am NZT (Friday 15th in Canada). He’ll share insights from his cancer journey, previously shared with workmates and the Cancer Society. Link below – we’d love to see you there.

    Join on Microsoft Teams:

    https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YmQzNTJhYjAtZjBiYS00NDlmLWEyMmYtMzg4MjU2OGE5NWQw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%229d5ca952-e4a5-43e6-b17c-c01d313ad135%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2276a7c942-460a-4d04-8b44-abf435996064%22%7d

    Meeting ID: 416 004 815 278 3

    Passcode: 4dq3YL2D

    Thanks again for the love, support, and good vibes. It’s meant everything. ❤️

    Noho ora mai (Stay well)

    ALEX

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    • 19/08/2025 by Sarah

      Hi guys

      Love receiving your updates! Such a challenging journey you’ve been on ❤️ I missed the zoom on Saturday 🤦‍♀️ don’t suppose you recorded it ? And did I imagine that Alex was going to/did some podcasts (?) ❤️ Sarah

  • Alex update - June 2025

      16 June 2025
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    Kia ora Everyone

    I hope this message finds you and your families healthy and well. We have another positive update on Alex’s progress after meeting with his oncologist, and completed 6 months of chemo.

    The positive news is that the scans were clear of cancer and his bloods are look good too. This great news is taking time to set in, given where we were back in February last year with our lives in turmoil. Alex is not out of the woods due to the high chance of re-occurrence, but he now moves into 2 years of close monitoring (3 monthly scans / bloods). As you could imagine, Alex is doing everything in his control to keep healthy, fit, and resilient – diet, supplements, exercise, hyperbaric chamber, infra-red saunas, his usual exercise, and good sleep.

    We are so grateful to all of you in so many ways! We would not be in this position without your support, love, and aroha. You have all played a massive part in helping us through this journey, we are beyond grateful and are making the most of more time together.

    We are going to host a celebration here in Wellington to extend our thanks, gratitude, and appreciation. We know that our support crew are spread around NZ and the world, therefore many of you won’t be able to join us - we will be thinking of you all. Alex also plans to extend his thanks and share his reflections online for those who are interested too. We’ll firm up both dates soon and let you know.

    Lots of love from Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie, Dylan, and Frank!

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    • 17/06/2025 by Douglas

      Great to hear guys and if timing works out then would be great to pop over the "dutch" to celebrate with y'all . Keep up the good vibes love Doug, Lou, Charlee & Laila xo

    • 23/06/2025 by Puhoi Sports Club

      This is such fantastic news!!

  • Chiet Update - 31 March 2025

      31 March 2025

    Kia ora everyone,

    We hope you are all well and enjoying the last of summer in NZ or the weather warming up back in Canada. Alex and I thought it was time for a quick update as it has been a few months.

    We feel so grateful and lucky to have the family back together again in our home in NZ. It has been a time of settling the kids back into school, getting back into the work routine as normal and Alex adjusting to part-time work. It’s been so nice catching up with our wonderful family and friends.

    Alex’s treatment has been transferred to NZ. He has 6-8 weeks of chemo left before next steps are addressed. So far , Alex has been handling the side-effects well and is exercising most days as you would expect and has been doing everything in his control to help (diet, supplements, hyperbaric chamber etc).

    While he is not out of the woods, we just feel so lucky to be in this situation that you have all helped us to be in. Alex has a few opportunities coming up to share some messages and reflections to help others which he is excited about.

    So, this is a huge thank you to our family, friends, and the medical team in Canada! We look forward to seeing more and more of you all, as we settle back into life in NZ.

    Noho ora mai (Stay well)

    Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie, Dylan and now Frank!

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  • January 2025

      29 January 2025

    Hi all,

    Alex here this time, feeling grateful. We had some cool news today. I am coming home, to finish the remaining 3 months of chemo. I am not out of the woods, there is a high chance of re occurrence but, hey take the win’s and let’s not worry about the what if's.

    This year has been an adventure for the family, but an adventure made easier by all the love and support by so many, we thank you all.

    I had plenty of time to reflect, and one thing I am motivated to do is give back to others (patients or families) facing cancer, that could be listening or sharing some reflections.

    I have prepared a few messages from my adventure that I hope will help people make the connections to everyday life choices. They are great messages (I’m biased) for anyone seeking inspiration, motivation, support to manage difficult situations.

    If you have family, friends, or workplaces you feel this may help, let me know I’m happy to share.

    Thank you to the family and friends who have been so supportive in Canada, we are now looking forward to seeing our NZ whanau when the time is right back in NZ.

    Billie and I feel very lucky to be on my way back home and to join Marsha and the boys.

    Big love

    Alex and the Chiets

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    • 30/01/2025 by Andrew

      Good news Alex! Safe travels and all the best for this last round!

    • 30/01/2025 by Lauree & Michael Woodside

      Awesome news! Catch up soon.

    • 30/01/2025 by Douglas

      Great to hear Alex. We will be in NZ in March & July so if you back in NZ would be great to catch up

    • 30/01/2025 by Sandy

      Wishing you all the best Alex from your fans at Durham Region SA. Keep on, keeping on, and safe travels home.

      Michelle, Lesley, Bob, Sandy

    • 05/02/2025 by Puhoi Sports Club

      That's great news Alex!! Welcome home!

  • Alex's Christmas Update

      19 December 2024

    Kia ora everyone,

    I thought it was time for a quick update before the Christmas holiday period.

    Alex is now 6 weeks into his 6 months of chemo, things are going well with not too many side-effects and Alex keeping his exercise up, it seems to help him. Alex has an appointment with his oncologist next week so we will hopefully get an indication of whether transferring his treatment back to NZ early February is a real possibility.

    The other decision we have made is that the boys and I are on our way back to NZ and Billie will stay with Alex. While a tough decision, it feels right balancing up things for all. The boys are excited to get home and see their mates, and I have a bit to organise workwise too for the 2025 school year which is a cool situation to be in. Billie is enjoying school, has made good friends and is happy to stay and support her dad. We are so grateful to be in this position, and the transition home signals exciting progress, something we hoped for but was unlikely leaving NZ.

    The Chiet family would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and an awesome relaxing and fun time with your family and friends. If this year has reinforced anything for us it is spending time with family and friends is what life is all about!

    Thank you all once again for your continued support, messages, and aroha – we feel it.

    Merry Christmas!

    Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie, and Dylan x

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    • 19/12/2024 by Michael

      So good to get your update. Thanks for sharing and for the positive news. Sending much love to you all. Michael

  • Alex update - 13 November 2024

      13 November 2024

    Kia ora!

    We hope you are going well as summer is set to start in NZ. The days are getting shorter and colder here in Toronto!

    We met with Alex's oncologist recently. His first follow up post-surgery (8 weeks ago). As you could imagine, there were a few nerves, as this consultation will set out the next steps, based on the pathology report from surgery and results from most recent CT scan and bloods.

    Thankfully, we received some encouraging news. The way Alex has responded to the treatment and surgery has exceeded their expectations, they were all very pleased. They were quite honest saying that when we arrived in Canada, Alex had no hope of a cure, but now, we have hope of a cure, which is incredible. As Alex always reminds us, ‘there is still a long way to go, things can go sideways at any time, and there is a very high chance of the cancer coming back’. However, to be in this current position is certainly cause for celebration! We are so grateful.

    The gameplan from here for Alex is 6 more months of chemo. If his body copes with the chemo well and the Canadian medical team are comfortable, there is the possibility to transfer his treatment back to NZ after 3 months (early Feb). Alex is handling the chemo well so far. He is back exercising and keeping himself busy as you could imagine.

    We would not be in this position without all your continued support and messages, so big love and aroha from the Chiets!

    Noho ora mai

    Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie, and Dylan x

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    • 13/11/2024 by Puhoi Sports Club

      Fantastic news. Good luck Alex. Looking forward to seeing you in NZ

  • Post Surgery Update

      12 October 2024
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    Kia ora!

    I hope this message finds you well. We’ve been following news from NZ and we’re thinking of everyone down south with the heavy rain.

    It's just over 3 weeks since Alex’s surgery and he is going well.

    The good news is that we were told the surgery went well. They took out half of Alex’s liver and cleared away all the sinister lymph nodes. Alex managed to get out of hospital a few days early which worked out well. He is improving daily with less pain and moving more, doing a couple of 5k walks a day now.

    As you all know Alex is not good at slowing down but his focus on recovering has involved reading, watching lots of football, podcasts and walking a bit more each day. He is not allowed to lift more than 3kgs for a about 6 weeks, so rain check on the daily chores!

    We meet with the surgeon next week and then the oncologist at the end of October, where we will find out results of pathology and another CT scan. The next steps could include more chemo but possibly a date to work towards heading home. However, we aren't getting too far ahead of ourselves, so we’ll just have to wait and see!

    Thanks again for all your love, support, and messages. We have also been blessed to have a few visitors from NZ which has been so special.

    Noho ora mai (Stay well)

    Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie, and Dylan xoxo

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    • 14/10/2024 by sarah

      Awesome news ! Fingers crossed for positive news later in the month 👌 PhysEd school reunion in Dunedin in March next year … just saying 😍

      Bugger about the ‘no chores’ 😂 rest up … rehab is always the hardest part of the journey - but worth the effort, so best to take it easy 😍

  • The latest treatment news and Canada update

      6 September 2024
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    Kia ora

    We hope this message finds you all well. The seasons are changing over here in Toronto as we head into the fall season. Our last message was in July, so time for a new update.

    It's been a waiting game for us, with Alex continuing on chemo, while we hoped and waited for a surgery date. Just yesterday we found out that Alex will have surgery next Friday (13th Sept). This means his chemo is “on hold” so he can be stronger and more able to cope with surgery and recovery. To date, Alex has completed 120 days of chemo, he has coped well, but this break from treatment brings a huge sigh of relief from the “poison that works” as he calls it.

    So, it's all go now that the surgery we came here for is finally happening! It is a big operation, and we are excited, but there will be some nerves as we wait to see Alex’s big smile. We are told he will be in hospital for 7 days and it will be a 4–6 week recovery and a “go slow” approach which will be fun for Alex. We will know more about next steps, once we meet with the oncologist 6 weeks after the surgery.

    You are all in our thoughts, thank you for the messages we continue to feel the love and support! We are still hopeful to be home for Christmas, but also do not want to get too far ahead of ourselves.

    We will let you know more, when we know more and thank you all once again for everything you have done to help enable us to be in this situation.

    Noho ora mai

    Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie, and Dylan xoxo

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  • The latest news from Alex in Canada

      19 July 2024

    Kia ora everyone,

    It has been close to a couple of months since the last update, so here's some news from Canada.

    It's sticky hot and humid now, 25-30 degrees with heat warnings and the odd downpour. The kids are on school holidays so a bit of sport, hanging with mates and Caleb has a part time job.

    In terms of treatment, we have had some great news hedged with a bit of reality. Alex finished 3 cycles of chemo, had the CT scan and then we met with our Oncologist yesterday and a surgeon today to understand results and next steps.

    The good news is the cancer markers in Alex’s bloods are lower and the CT scan confirmed the lymph nodes outside his liver are smaller. This is the news we were hoping for and means we are 'go' for surgery, which wasn't an option in NZ!

    The oncologist and surgeon reinforced, even if surgery goes well, Alex is still at risk of cancer coming back (80%), due to the cancer type and location.

    Alex says ‘he’ll take 20% any day from where we were and are now!

    Next steps - continue with chemo for 1-2 cycles until surgery is confirmed. Likely 6-10 week wait, then 4–6-week recovery. That all depends on what the surgeon sees, the biopsy testing, and then preventive chemo to follow.

    We are so keen to beat this and get back home before Christmas, that is still on the cards. Thank you all once again for all your kind messages and your generosity, we feel the love.

    Noho ora mai (Stay well)

    Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie and Dylan xoxo

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    • 19/07/2024 by Michael

      Thanks so much for the update. As I go through a much less severe process myself I share a fraction of what you are going through and send all my love and support I possibly can. Sending much ❤️

    • 20/07/2024 by Barney

      Hi guys, thanks for the update. Great progress! We’re continuing to think of you and sending strong support vibes. Barney, Penny and fam

  • 30 May update

      30 May 2024

    Kia ora Everyone,

    We felt it was about time for another quick update.

    All is going well in Canada, 26 degrees the last few days so summer is on its way. The boys are both playing basketball and Billie football, to make the most of their time here and make more connections.

    It is day 15 (of 45) of chemo for Alex and things are going well. Each week he has a couple of days where he gets knocked around a bit, but always bounces back and it is going better than we expected so far. To be honest we did not know what to expect. He has a check up next week with the medical team before getting into his second round of chemo. We won’t know how it is going until he has finished the chemo, so fingers and toes crossed.

    Alex and I took the time to read through all your messages this week. It was quite special and gave us the boost we needed, thank you so much for all you support and positive vibes.

    Sending lots of aroha

    Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie, and Dylan x

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  • News from Alex and Marsha

      8 May 2024

    Kia ora Everyone,

    We hope you are all well. Another quick update.

    We have settled into Canadian life, and it is starting to warm up which is nice. The kids are all in school and playing sport which helping them all meet new people and make friends.

    Alex’s treatment starts this week. The medical team have been very thorough, we have had 2-3 appointments per week and now have the game plan for the first 2 months which starts with chemotherapy. The optimistic news is that if Alex responds well to chemo then clinical trials or even surgery are possibilities, which has justified the decision to get here as soon as we could.

    Thank you all once again for your heartwarming messages and support.

    Sending lots of aroha

    Marsha, Alex, Caleb, Billie, and Dylan x

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  • News and Update from Alex

      10 April 2024

    Kia ora everyone,

    A quick update from Canada.

    We are starting to settle in, with the support of family and friends, and the weather is starting to warm up!

    Alex has had multiple appointments already. We are in such great hands. It is looking like he will start treatment next week, as the medical team decide the best plan.

    We are still in awe of the continued support and generosity by so many wonderful humans – thank you all.

    Over the past weekend in NZ, there were two football fundraisers hosted at North Wellington (where Alex has coached for 10 years) and in Dunedin (where Alex played a lot of his football). A special shout out to Jeff Graham who spent 17 hours on a bike climbing 10,000m to fundraise on Saturday – what a feat!

    Thank you all once again, we will post a brief update every 2-3 weeks .

    All our aroha (love)

    Alex, Marsha, Caleb, Billie and Dylan

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  • The latest news from Alex (28/3/2024)

      28 March 2024

    Kia ora Everyone,

    Thank you all for the lovely messages and generous and kind donations, we are truly humbled and grateful.

    The Chiet family have now touched down in Toronto, we arrived the same time as a snowstorm, hopefully the last for winter.

    We are now adjusting to Canadian time and life, getting some admin set up over here for the next few months.

    Alex has his first Oncologist appointment on Thursday Canadian time.

    Thank you all once again we are still very taken back by your overwhelming generosity.

    Happy Easter everyone.

    Alex, Marsha, Caleb, Billie and Dylan x

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    • 28/03/2024 by Charlie

      Hi Chiet family, we’re happy to read that you have arrived safely and are preparing to start treatment. We wish you all he best with first meeting and subsequent visits and treatment.

      All our love to you all, Charlie and Angie

  • Update from Alex - 18 March 2024

      18 March 2024

    Hi everyone,

    The last week has been overwhelming and humbling, with so many lovely messages and generosity that’s hard for the family to fathom. I have not read all the messages yet, there will be a time for that.

    I have a fight ahead of me and the family, but we are up for it, ready to walk towards it and in a funny way I feel well prepared. The one thing I know is hard work, whether that has been in my work, playing football and other sports. Through all those wonderful adventures our family and I have many wonderful people in our lives and that has become even clearer over the last week.

    A well-known phrase that feels even more appropriate right now - He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata (The most important thing in the world . People, people, people)

    Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.

    Big love and hugs

    Alex, Marsha, Caleb, Billie, Dylan (and Frank 😊)

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    • 19/03/2024 by Douglas

      Go smash it Alex. If you can turn Cancer Treatment in to a sport, then I am sure you will top the league table ;-) Good luck fella, all our love will be with you, Doug, Lou, Charlee, Laila ( & Angel ;-)