''Because of the malicious nature of melanoma, Dad's condition deteriorated a lot quicker than any of us would have imagined, and it meant that my sister and I were not able to make it out of isolation in time to say goodbye to him.
"It has been a challenging time for us all to adjust to a life without Dad, and we wish that MIQ would have been more accommodating given our situation,'' Joshua said.
''Although, fortunately for Dad, he was surrounded by our mum, sister and his parents-in-law, and was comforted right until the last moments.''
Joshua said Peter was diagnosed with melanoma under one of his ears in September 2019 and had it removed soon afterwards.
''It appeared that it was clear and that the melanoma had not spread."
However, the symptoms persisted throughout the following years.
"... but with the Covid-19 restrictions and various lockdowns, he was not able to be seen as regularly as he was informed and found it challenging to arrange follow-up consultations,'' Joshua said.
Worsening symptoms prompted Collecutt to visit his GP on January 12 this year. He was immediately sent to Whangārei Hospital to undergo a CT scan.
''It was here that he was diagnosed with metastatic cancer, more specifically melanoma, which spread all throughout his brain and body.''
Joshua said it was only three weeks later that his dad suffered a stroke in the early hours of the morning. He died later the same day.
''Because of the specific immunotherapy treatment prescribed to Dad, and associated costs for the funeral, our mother, Sally, has been left with a significant amount of medical bills and invoices to deal with while still grieving the loss of her beloved husband.''
Collecutt grew up in Mangere with his parents and younger sister. He had various different careers throughout his life including working as a prison officer, a motor mechanic, a pump station serviceman, and more recently in the hardware department of Mitre 10 in Whangārei.
''He was such a hands-on guy and was always spending time in the garage or shed working on various projects,'' Joshua said.
He met Sally in 1994 through mutual friends, and they spent their life together accomplishing a lot of their life goals, and travelling around the world together.
''Dad was the best role model for us three kids and always provided us with the best opportunities, even if it meant he had to miss out. He was such a selfless man and would never hesitate to encourage us and guide us to achieving our goals. Whenever there was something we were unsure about, he was always willing to give it a go and help us through,'' he said.
As of yesterday, 63 people had donated $8000 via the Givealittle page. Joshua said the family were grateful for any help.
The Advocate recently reported on how Northland has the third-highest melanoma death rate in the country - six per 100,000 compared to the national average of five per 100,000. The region lags just behind Taranaki and Bay of Plenty.
