The boy who has featured in the shave-your-head-for-cancer campaign since 2011 is in remission from his serious blood disease.
Kole Satherley, now 7, was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia when he was 5. He and his family spent a year commuting between their home in Palmerston North and Starship children's hospital in Auckland for medical tests and treatment, including several lumbar punctures and blood transfusions.
The rare disease causes the bone marrow to stop making enough new blood cells. This can cause fatigue, an inability to fight infections, blood that won't clot and heart failure. It can be fatal if not treated.
Kole is now in remission but still has monthly blood tests and visits Starship once every six months.
"Kole has just started playing inter-club tennis and his tennis manager and new teacher both asked if he was the boy on the Shave for a Cure advertisement," said his mother, Cara. "That put a big smile on his dial."
