Two cancers can't stop bubbly teen enjoying Mini-break

Charlotte Crick-Friesen, 16, joined the Pork Pie Charity Run to raise funds for Starship children's hospital. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Teenage cancer survivor Charlotte Crick-Friesen is all smiles as the red Mini she's in enters the carpark.

The 16-year-old is among dozens of people in this year's Pork Pie Charity Run for the Starship Foundation.

The event, run over Easter weekend, is aiming to raise up to $100,000 towards buying transport stretchers for the Starship's air ambulance service.

It's been a year since Miss Crick-Friesen was diagnosed with two types of cancer in the space of nine months.

In September 2009, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma - a cancer which originates from white blood cells and is one of the more curable cancers.

Doctors found a tumour against her brain and she underwent chemotherapy. Four months into treatment she suffered septicaemia in her stomach.

"I was in the oncology ward for three months," she said.

"I was in remission later on and then I went back to normal life, everything was getting better."

But during that remission, in June last year, Miss Crick-Friesen was hit with another blow.

"I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and I had to go on chemotherapy again. At the end of that I had to have a stem cell transplant. I was basically out of school for 18 months."

The Year 12 Auckland Girls' Grammar School student was able to sit only two of her exams last year.

The bubbly teenager credits her recovery to the support of her family and the staff at Starship.

"I feel like the staff there became my family. They were always cheering me up. They were always there for me."

Up to 40 teams have registered for the Pork Pie Charity Run, with dozens of Minis travelling 2900km from Kaitaia to Invercargill, retracing the route in the Kiwi film Goodbye Pork Pie.

At the Auckland pit stop yesterday, Miss Crick-Friesen arrived in a blazing red Mini with sister Florence, 19, and mother Mary Ann Crick.

Ms Crick said her daughter had gone through a lot in the past 18 months and the family was very happy to thank Starship by supporting the fundraising event.

Miss Crick-Friesen yesterday flew to Samoa with her sister and father for a week-long holiday.

"We've had to postpone so many times and so now I'm just really happy to finally be going," she said. "Hopefully there'll be a lot of sun."