Rotorua girl Atarangi Taikato-Bowden was diagnosed with leukaemia on August 1.
Rotorua girl Atarangi Taikato-Bowden was diagnosed with leukaemia on August 1.
When 4-year-old Rotorua girl Atarangi Taikato-Bowden had a swollen puku for a week, her parents thought she had constipation.
Instead, she was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Speaking from Starship children’s hospital, her mother Skye Taikato-Bowden said their whānau had been in Auckland since August 2, marking the start of Atarangi’s two and a half years of cancer treatment.
If her tests come back clear on September 2, Atarangi will be in remission and the whānau can return to Rotorua, continuing treatment predominantly at Rotorua Hospital, she said.
Atarangi is Taikato-Bowden’s only daughter of four children.
“You never wish it on your worst enemy, to feel so helpless, how do you take your baby’s mamae [pain] away?”
‘I can’t leave her’
Taikato-Bowden said they stayed in Rotorua Hospital that night.
The next day, Atarangi was taken to Starship in an ambulance. Her 20-year-old brother, Tehimana Taikato - “who’s like her best friend” - went with her.
Taikato-Bowden, Bowden and their 3-year-old son Te Ariki Taikato-Bowden drove to Starship.
“We’ve never really left this floor since.”
The family have a place to stay at Ronald McDonald House in Auckland but Taikato-Bowden has spent most nights at the hospital with Atarangi.
An update on the page on August 28 said their car had been found and had not been stolen. They were working with Givealittle to refund anyone who wished to retract their contribution.
The whānau thanked everyone for their donations. They planned to sell their two vehicles to buy something “more reliable”, knowing they had many return trips ahead of them between Rotorua and Starship.
“With the donations we have received we plan to buy a new vehicle, subsidise our increased living expenses with one part of the whānau in Rotorua and the other in Tāmaki, and we would love to do Atarangi’s bedroom up for when she finally gets home,” the update said.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.