Waikato Nurse, Wife and Mother battles Metastatic Cancer

Kia Ora Koutou

I’d like to take the time to introduce you to our dear friend and colleague Amanda Iris Liaina. Amanda and her husband Dan have been together for 17 years and after much heartache and many years were able to increase their whanau with their nine year old son Vineta and their now two year old daughter, Armani. Dan is a Baker and Amanda is a Senior Registered Nurse working for the Waikato District Health Board at Tokoroa Hospital. She was two years ago, a colleague of ours at Te Kuiti Hospital.

Last year they realised their dream and moved into the home they built for their children and wider whanau.

Their mum has been a rock within the whanau and sadly last year she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately the progression has been extremely fast and she is no longer able to work; albeit remaining at the centre of the home. She was both a financial contributor and whanau support to her children and mokopuna and this diagnosis has changed the function of their home considerably.

At the end of the same year Amanda started to experience pain that was presumed to be related to possible gallstones.

Tragically last month, this whanau was hit with yet another burden to carry. Our friend Amanda was diagnosed with a Gallbladder Neck Carcinoma that is both fast growing and has spread to her Peritoneum and Liver. Four weeks ago she was informed that the cancer is inoperable and while she has been given months, there is some hope that with a suitable chemotherapy drug, she may be given more time with both her husband and young children.

To meet Amanda you would struggle with any inkling that there was anything wrong, as she remains focused to her children, her mum and her husband. She is documenting her story for whanau and friends to keep them abreast of the disease progress, thus in some way waylaying their concerns, as she remains hopeful that intervention will give her more time with her loved ones.

The day she found out her diagnosis, Amanda and I were talking and she just stated quite emphatically;

“They’ve got it wrong. Then she sighed!! She said that God wouldn’t put Dan in her path when they were supposed to grow old together and he certainly wouldn’t make her wait so long to have children, let alone now be looking after her mum; to just take it all away”.

Sadly they weren’t wrong and we are now looking for support to tautoko this whanau in an effort to reduce some of those stressors that will surely mount up as time marches on.

At times, as a nurse, Amanda has had the understated privilege of supporting her patients and their wider whanau through their darkest days; Now it is our turn to help and support her and her whanau through their darkest time. Please help if able; and if not; thank you for taking the time to read our story about our loving friend who has impacted on so many lives and who continues to put others before herself every day.