'As thick as thieves': Waikato woman shaves head in support of father

Kerry Bisley's daughter Ellen has shaved her head in support of her dad, and to educate others. Video / Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand

Kerry is battling multiple myeloma but isn’t the type to curl up in a ball over it.

The night 12-year-old Ellen Bisley found out her dad had cancer she recalls tears, followed by a lot of silence.

The diagnosis had come as a shock, she says, and no one knew what to say.

Seven years on, Ellen is sporting a freshly shorn head, having gotten rid of her locks in support of her dad Kerry.

The family is telling their story as part of the campaign for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand's fundraising event, Shave for a Cure.

Their story will screen on TV and run online. A wider campaign goes for the next four weeks, as the organisation gears up for 'Shave Week' next month.

Kerry continues to battle multiple myeloma - a cancer of plasma cells that usually arises in the bone marrow.

The 54-year-old said the cancer was "controllable" - to a degree.

He was on a raft of different medications and described himself as 'semi-retired', largely sticking around their home in Otorohanga, in the Waikato.

Ellen Bisley had her head shaved in January in support of her dad, as part of the Shave for a Cure campaign. Photo / Supplied

He's had to give up his full-time job as a chef about 3 years ago, when he felt the physical toll of full-time work while battling cancer, was getting too much.

"It just got to the point where I couldn't do it," he said,

"I was getting too tired, all of the time."

It was a necessary break, but Kerry said the excess of down time drove him "up the wall".

So, he decided to take on a part-time gig running a coffee cart. He gets up at 5.30 and plants his coffee cart out on the road.

He would typically stick around serving cups to locals until midday but working for himself meant he could throw in the towel early if he was having an off day.

Meanwhile, his daughter Ellen was about to launch into the second semester of her nursing degree.

When her dad was first diagnosed, Ellen dreamed of becoming an architect.

She was now studying to become a nurse - a change in heart she said was somewhat influenced by her time with her dad in hospital.

"There are just some lovely, lovely people," she said.

"Just seeing how much they really cared for the people they're looking after, I thought it was really cool."

Ellen had always loved science, and figured nursing was a way to incorporate her people skills, and science.

"Once I got the idea in my head it kind of stuck… I'm looking forward to graduating.

Her visits to his hospital room held a special importance for them both. Kerry said Ellen's daily after-school visits were his silver lining.

"It sort of gave me a pick-me-up - it gave me a reason to keep going."

It was a rough time for Ellen too, who was going through "normal 12-year-old stuff" like trying to pick which high school to attend.

Kerry Bisley's daughter Ellen has shaved her head in support of her dad, and to educate others. Video / Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand

The night Kerry found out, she'd noticed her parents having a big conversation in the next room over, and wondered what they were talking about.

"I remember I cried, but I don't really remember much else - It was all a whirlwind of 'what's happening'."

"It was really quiet after that.

"We didn't really talk too much that night, we were trying to let it set in."

The months following were a strange period, with the family trying to figure out how to talk about what was going on.

But Ellen said her dad's sickness had been hugely influential in bringing the family closer together.

She and her dad are "as thick as thieves", frequently finishing each other's sentences or coming up with the same ideas.

And here had been a shift from not knowing how to talk about his illness, to becoming more open with each other about how he was doing, and how everyone was feeling.

Kerry was determined to live his life as normally as possible - rather than letting his illness dictate his life.

"I've seen too many people in hospital, lying there waiting for the day to come.

"They might get told they have six months to live, and it's like they put a circle on the calendar and that's what they aim for.

"That's not me," he said.

Shave for a Cure: What you need to know

• Shave for a Cure is leukaemia & blood cancer New Zealand's signature fundraising event, which has been running for over a decade
• A campaign highlighting Kiwis' battles with the illness leads up to 'Shave Week' on 18-24 March
• LBC receives no Government funding
• One Kiwi is diagnosed with Leukaemia or Blood Cancer every four hours
• Leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer, while lymphoma is one of the most common cancers in 15 – 24 year-olds.