Shannon says her mum Helena's friends have become like surrogate mums to her. Photo / Tony Nyberg
Shannon says her mum Helena's friends have become like surrogate mums to her. Photo / Tony Nyberg
Just over five years on from Helena McAlpine's death, her daughter Shannon and bestie Shavaughn Ruakere still think about her and grieve for her daily, and though talking about the wacky, fun-loving TV and radio star may be painful, they both agree it's the best therapy.
"She was a ridiculous person, in the best sense," the former Shortland Street actress says of her BFF, who died in 2015, at just 37, after a six-year battle with breast cancer. "Definitely my most embarrassing friend! I miss her zest for life."
And while their mother-daughter relationship wasn't always smooth sailing, for Shannon, learning that she has bipolar disorder has helped her better understand Helena, who was also diagnosed with the same mental health condition. Shannon, 20, tells us, "Many of the struggles Mum and I had stemmed from her thinking, 'I'm going to die soon and my daughter's got issues – I can see her turning into myself.'
"She understood what was happening to me, but knew she would pass away before she could help more. She was loving and supportive, but sometimes that came out as confusion or she got angry at herself, which didn't help."
Before she died, Helena had passionately advocated for breast cancer awareness and her impact is now being saluted with the Helena McAlpine Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, a new research project funded by the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
"The fact they've named a research grant after her – she would be ecstatic!" says Shavaughn. That's because Helena adored the limelight – so much so that Shavaughn, 42, initially found the television presenter's vivacious and commanding energy overwhelming when the two met while working at music network C4.
She explains, "She would hurricane into the office late, then buy everyone pizza as an apology. I thought of her like the Tasmanian Devil, spinning in and out of the cartoon. I was like, 'That girl's too much!'" It wasn't until they later bonded over unemployment that Shavaughn got to know and love Helena. She was devastated when her friend called to say she had cancer.
Shannon was only 9 and the diagnosis understandably rattled her. "A parent being sick ages and jades you quickly," she reflects. "I was super-angry, thinking, 'Why was I punished? Why did Mum deserve it?' It was hard to wake up every day and be a normal child. But it also made me more understanding of what other people might be going through."
Helena's health declined when Shannon went to intermediate school. She recalls, "Mum wasn't always the best version of herself and I had a lot of teenage angst, so her and I weren't getting along."
Shavaughn says Helena was her "most embarrassing" friend. Photo / Tony Nyberg
Their relationship was further frazzled as Shannon started experiencing her own struggles, which would later be diagnosed as bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterised by mood swings.
"I had always struggled with feeling down and having crazy urges," shares Shannon. "I was self-harming throughout my teenage years and went from huge highs to lows where I couldn't leave bed for days." Although Shannon had counselling from a young age, it was only recently that she was diagnosed with bipolar.
"Since then, I've learned a lot about myself, and I understand more about my mum and why we didn't get along sometimes," she tells. "Lots of her triggers are my triggers, but you only understand it once you go through it."
Just 15 when she lost her mother, Shannon says the two were able to put their tension aside during Helena's final days. She recalls, "As Mum deteriorated, it shocked and snapped me into realising I had more control over things than her. It was like she had zapped into a childlike state, which was a very sobering experience, especially at an age where you should still be looked after yourself."
The rapidness of Helena's decline was also jarring to Shavaughn. She gets emotional as she recounts watching Helena pass away at home while musician Laughton Kora performed on the front porch.
Shannon lost her mum Helena McAlpine five years ago. Photo / Supplied
"What I learned is to say the stuff you want to say to people – have those talks earlier," Shavaughn reflects. "Helena had this lovely idea about passing away under a tree, looking at Shannon. But often people with cancer are delirious towards the end. You don't know if they understand what you're saying."
For Shannon, graduating with a Diploma in Broadcasting and Journalism was a moment she wishes Helena could have witnessed. Currently managing an Auckland club, she's planning further studies and would love to argue with Helena about the most suitable course. Shannon lives with her stepdad Brett McAlpine, who Helena wed after splitting from Shannon's father Darren, and sees Helena's second husband Chris Barton regularly. But she finds it difficult watching others with their parents.
"I can become selfish and angry when I see people getting their nails done with their mum or having a girls' day. But lots of her friends were like mother figures to me."
Noting her boyfriend AJ's mother has also been supportive, she adds, "I had a really bad thing happen, but I've gained maturity, character and a bunch of surrogate mums. Shavvy's one of them and we get along really well. Hollie [Smith] is another. Mum's friends all parented or taught me a lesson at some stage."
Shannon relishes looking back on memories with Shavaughn. Last September, the two reunited at an Auckland park to mark five years since Helena's passing. However, endeavouring to enjoy life to the fullest is how Shannon keeps her mother's memory alive daily.
Helena got to have her fairytale wedding to Chris before she passed away. Photo / Supplied
"The best way I can embrace or remember Mum is when I socialise and am happy – that's when I feel I'm embodying her most."
Shavaughn, meanwhile, enjoys listening to music she and Helena loved. Recalling her morning walk before our photo shoot, she says, "I was in a grump, then I put on Shapeshifter and went, 'I get to be here. I'm alive. Every day's a blessing.' That's what she'd be saying to me: 'Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!' Living a life of awesomeness is my huge takeaway from her."
Shavaughn also thinks of Helena whenever she spots a monarch butterfly. She explains, "I do this weird little thing where I touch my heart twice, then do a peace sign. That's me going, 'Hey, girl!' There have been times when something's not going great in my life and suddenly a monarch swoops down. I think it's Helena going, 'You'll be okay'."
While 2020 was a difficult year for many, Shavaughn feels lucky to be healthy, happy, working on a US TV series, and enjoying the Kiwi summer with family, friends and Six60 concerts.
While she describes her deep gratitude, a butterfly flutters by as if on cue. "A monarch just showed up!" she exclaims.
