When she was 6, she was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. For the next two years, she was put into isolation and had to undergo chemotherapy treatment continuously.
"I remember the sound of the trolley coming down the corridor when I was going to have injections and things. The chemo left me energyless. I felt continuously limp.
"There was no such thing as Ronald McDonald House, so Mum would sleep on a stretcher next to me.
"I was in isolation almost that whole time because I had no immune system. I had a sister who had a cold most of the time - I didn't see her for one year."
One thing that kept her spirits up was a special get-away camp set up for children with cancer: Camp Quality.
Pierard - who is now an ambassador for the not-for-profit organisation - says attending the camps helped push her to want to get better.
"It provided me with a safe environment, where I could have fun with a whole lot of kids who were going through similar things."
She easily lists the activities she took part in and got to experience at the camps - hot air balloon and helicopter rides, chocolate making, jet boat and motorbike rides and camping trips.
"It really was the greatest catalyst in the recovery for me because it was a chance to let go and have experiences with people and normalise the experience."
Camp Quality is running its Odd Shoe Day - on September 13 - to help raise funds for this year's activities.
Pierard said she hoped people would read her story and want to give back to the organisation that had helped give her a second chance at life.
"It's a way for me to acknowledge the impact it had on my recovery. I come from a big family and they were all affected as well - possibly, in some ways, more than I was.
"The camps really helped all of us."
For more info or to donate, visit: www.campquality.org.nz
