Tawhai and I, with our tamariki, lived in Australia from 2023-2024. When Tawhai relapsed, we returned to NZ for family support, unaware of how detrimental that choice would be for his care. Had we known how far behind NZ is in funding and accessibility, we would have stayed.
Getting back to Australia was life-or-death. In NZ, Tawhai was placed on palliative care; I could not accept that he was being left to die. I bypassed referrals, contacted the Sydney team directly, and we were on a plane within three days—only after urgent transfusions to make him stable enough to fly. Our doctor was clear: "You need to be here this week; by next week it could be too late."
Since arriving in Sydney, the doctors and their haematology team have undoubtedly saved my husband’s life. The "next level" care from the nursing staff has been paramount. It is heartbreaking that 21,000 blood cancer patients in NZ cannot access this.
We feel deep empathy for NZ doctors, who are forced to deliver substandard care due to lack of funding. Seeing this from a new perspective, we truly appreciate what they did despite the restrictions.
Our hardest obstacle is the separation from our children. Missing assemblies, bedtimes, and milestones while living through a phone is agonizing. Our children are suffering. We need urgent action: families should not have to split apart just to survive.
