Cancer patient from Northland booked for surgery in Australia

Owen Pihema, wife Clair and their five children aged 2 to 7 have had their lives turned upside down by his cancer diagnosis.

A Northland policeman and father-of-five battling a rare cancer has travelled to Australia for surgery.

Hokianga’s Owen Pihema has goblet cell adenocarcinoma of the appendix, a cancer so rare it affects just one person in every two million.

The 35-year-old had been suffering severe abdominal pain but the cancer diagnosis, made after his appendix was removed, still came as a shock.

The best chance of making sure all of the cancer is removed is specialist surgery – a right hemicolectomy – followed by heated chemotherapy delivered straight into his abdomen.

Because of the rarity of the cancer, Pihema has chosen to travel to Australia to have the surgery done by an expert in the field: Professor David Morris at Sydney’s St George Peritonectomy and Liver Cancer Unit.

The surgery alone is at least $165,000, with Pihema and wife Clair also having to pay for travel to Australia, accommodation for up to a month, and care of their five children, who will stay in New Zealand with friends and family.

The community has been rallying around to support and fundraise, with more than $60,000 donated through a Givealittle page.

“We’ve been blown away by the help we’ve had – from friends and from people we don’t know – not just with the Givealittle but people giving their time to help us at home,” Pihema said.

“It’s taken a massive weight off our shoulders.”

Pihema said he is also very lucky to get assistance from the Police Welfare Fund.

He works as a detective constable based in Kaikohe, and the couple are also about to open a new preschool from their property in Waimā, the first of its kind in Hokianga.

The project has kept them busy while waiting for the surgery to come around, he said, but will now have to take the backseat for a month.

Pihema and Clair flew to Australia on Saturday.

The surgery is planned for Wednesday, although the public hospital could delay surgery by a day or two if there is an emergency, he said.

Figures from Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora show Northland has some of the highest cancer registrations and death rates in the country.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.