Coromandel police officer who cheated death on the front line now faces devastating cancer diagnosis

A Coromandel police officer who narrowly escaped death on the front line has been diagnosed with blood cancer and is now desperately trying to self-fund the life-saving drug he urgently needs.

Will Hamilton, 40, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a common incurable blood cancer which, with the right medication can be survived for years – in 2023.

However, funded medications are limited in New Zealand.

Will Hamilton, 40, who was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2023, is pictured with his fiancé, Amber, their first-born Jack (front) and son Harry in winter 2024.

Like many other New Zealanders living with the disease, Hamilton has no choice but to fundraise for his own survival.

It’s not the first time he’s had to comprehend the end of his life.

“A few years ago, an armed offender fired a number of rounds in my direction ... all of which missed me, some by a matter of centimetres,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton was awarded a Police Commissioner’s commendation for his involvement in the incident.

He said the near-death experience pulled into focus what was important in life.

Will Hamilton was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2023, pictured with his 18-month-old son, Harry, winter 2024.

“I realised it wasn’t my time; life is too short ... it really put things into perspective for me,” he said.

Hamilton had always been regular with his yearly doctor check-ups. In 2023, just before his appointment, he noticed something unusual with his toe.

“I got a little bit of gout in my toe of all things ... if it weren’t for that they wouldn’t have done a liver function test which picked up astronomical levels of protein flowing around my body,” he said.

Days later, Hamilton was at the playground with his fiancé Amber and their firstborn, Jack, when he got a call from the haematologist.

When he asked the doctor what he was dealing with, he was told to get to Waikato Hospital immediately.

“He said right there on the phone; blood cancer,” Hamilton said.

Following an unsuccessful stem cell transplant in April 2023, Hamilton has been on a form of chemotherapy, which includes an oral medication called Lenalidomide.

Will Hamilton with his 18-month-old Harry at a Whangamatā playground.

His treatment is not funded in New Zealand, costing him $1000 every month – and it’s not working anymore.

Like many other New Zealanders living with multiple myeloma, Hamilton has had to turn to the public for help, something that goes against everything he knows as a police officer.

His long-time friend Anna Megaffin started a Givealittle page.

“With all the doom and gloom of the cancer diagnosis, we’re just absolutely blindsided and over the moon with the generosity of people, many of them don’t even know us,” he said.

The page has gained nearly $100,000 from donations around the world.

Will Hamilton, pictured with his fiancé and two sons, Harry (left) and Jack (right).

Hamilton said since his diagnosis, the generosity of strangers, friends and businesses has shocked their family.

Hamilton said he was “mind blown” when building and transport business, TDM Transport pledged $2000 every month for 12 months.

“It is just mind-blowing the generosity out there,” Hamilton said.

With their second-born Harry, 18 months old, their family has expanded to four and Hamilton is determined to stay alive for them.

Hamilton’s haematologist said to extend his life, he needs daratumumab. Another myeloma treatment which is not funded. The first 12 months alone will cost $156,000.

“Daratumumab is a drug which has established itself as standard of care treatment worldwide for the treatment of myeloma ... for this reason it is funded in all developed countries including Australia,” Hamilton said.

Haematologist Rodger Tiedeman, who specialises in multiple myeloma, said it is “devastating” when he knows what drugs patients need, but they just can’t access them.

“Kiwi patients' lives are definitely being cut short in NZ because they can’t access modern medicines,” he said.

“I personally had a number of really nice patients die during 2024 while hoping in vain that daratumumab would get funded.”

He said he understands Pharmac is still discussing funding daratumumab, which “at least offers myeloma patients some hope”, but the lack of clarity and failure to come to a deal is hurting patients.

“I’m no longer surprised when Kiwis are denied access to modern medicines that are routinely funded in poorer countries than our own,” he said.

Daratumumab is not a “new” drug, Tiedeman said. It has been around for almost a decade and is the standard of care in 49 other countries, including Australia, Slovenia and Brazil.

Despite this, the drug remains inaccessible for patients with myeloma in New Zealand.

Pharmac’s Acting Manager of Pharmaceutical Funding, Logan Heyes said they are continuing talks with the daratumumab supplier about its funding applications for the drug.

“We understand multiple myeloma has a significant impact on people’s lives,” Heyes said.

Heyes said while daratumumab is available in other countries, the funding and reimbursement systems for funded medicines are often “not comparable to ours”.

“We must make our own decisions about the public funding of medicines, carefully assessing the available evidence and thinking about what’s best in the New Zealand context.”

Heyes said they’re committed to stretching the Pharmac budget as much as they can, which means they have to make difficult decisions and prioritise which medicines will benefit New Zealanders most from the budget they have available.

Tiedeman said even after the funding uplift in 2024, New Zealand still spends closer to a third of other OECD countries, on average.

“Pharmac does the best it can with what it has, but it can’t conjure up the treatments that Kiwis deserve out of thin air,” he said.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour told the Herald he acknowledges the hardship faced by people in situations like Will Hamilton’s.

“As the responsible Minister, my preference is to secure as much funding as possible for Pharmac because we have seen what it is capable of when given the support it needs,” he said.

“In my letter of expectations to Pharmac last July, I asked it to ensure that its decision-making and evaluation model includes the wider fiscal impact of funding or not funding a medicine.”

Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter.