Cactus student honoured for inspirational health journey

RA Tawhiao with his trophies and a string of beads given to him by the Child Cancer Foundation. The beads represent part of his struggle with cancer. Photo / Leanne Warr

Te Rangatahi (RA) Tawhiao has been through a tough battle the past three years.

Diagnosed with leukemia at age 14, the Dannevirke teen was determined it wasn't going to stop him from participating in the Cactus programme.

The programme - an eight-week military style training programme run by local senior constable Wayne (Mouse) Churchouse - was run during winter this year.

RA had been hoping to take the course before he was diagnosed, and was disappointed when it didn't happen.

"I couldn't prove Mouse wrong that I could beat him."

It was February 2020 when RA was diagnosed.

His mum, Naiomi, said she hadn't thought anything of it when it first happened.

She said he'd been a little bit tired.

"But anyone could have passed it off as a lazy, hormonal teenager. I would never have picked it up."

Then, RA had a nosebleed that wouldn't stop for several hours.

"I just thought, you know, clean your mess up, go to bed - and then we woke up the next day to him actually unconscious in the hallway."

It was a day she described as "the worst day of my life".

RA was taken by ambulance to Palmerston North hospital, but they had to stop twice to give him adrenaline and try to stop the nosebleed, Naiomi said.

At the hospital they gave him platelets and plasma, and within an hour he was diagnosed with cancer.

The next day, they were flown to Starship in Auckland, and by Thursday he was on chemotherapy, Naiomi said.

"Honestly, it was just so fast."

She found the situation "so scary".

"You learn lots of new words, and lots of new stuff. It's crazy."

There were months when they had to travel to Auckland every second week which could be quite draining, especially as there were times when they drove up to the city rather than flying.

"I hate flying. Ever since the Life Flight," Naiomi said.

Participating in Cactus was challenging, but RA received a lot of encouragement, especially from his whānau.

RA took part in the first aid exercise on the Longest Day. Photo / Leanne Warr

When it came time to participate in the Longest Day, which was a full day of activities designed to challenge the students, there was some initial doubt that RA could make it.

"Mouse emailed me and said, 'I'm sorry to say, but if he's still in hospital on the Longest Day, we're coming to steal him'," Naiomi said.

Churchouse said they had planned to "borrow him from the hospital and carry him around in a stretcher all day".

At the graduation dinner, RA led the haka and was presented with a trophy for the Most Determination and Effort.

RA was shocked and surprised to be given the trophy by Wayne Churchouse. Photo / Supplied

He was also chosen to receive the Te Whakaaweawe trophy for the Most Inspirational Student, which was presented to him after the graduation.

Wayne Churchouse said Cactus instructors felt RA deserved the trophy for Most Inspirational Student. Photo / Leanne Warr

"All the Cactus instructors agreed that RA should be awarded this honour," Churchouse said.

"The respect I have for that man," Naiomi said.

RA had also recently gone on his first hunting trip with Churchouse, resulting in him shooting his first deer.

The whānau have also become close with the nurses in the hospital.

"It's just amazing," Naiomi said. "The bonds that you create from such a s****y situation."

RA said he was talking to other students about joining the Cactus programme.

"I'll be a GI (graduate instructor) next year and I can boss them around."

His leukemia is in remission, although he was not quite out of the woods yet, Naiomi said.

"They're waiting for his lymphocytes to recover, but nothing else is sinister, so [he's] cancer-free."

In the meantime, the family were just taking it one day at a time.