Michael "Mudzz" Tarei, a father of six, speaks about how his wife had been told she didn't have long to live, and their family's struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Video / A Current Affair
“Me and the kids are going to miss you so much, babe. Life will never be the same without you,” widower Michael “Mudzz” Tarei wrote online in memory of Pania Dunne, 37.
In December last year, Tarei spoke to A Current Affair about how he was dreading life without “the backbone of our family” and how his “world just shattered” when Dunne was diagnosed.
Tarei and Dunne lived and worked in Australia and faced financial hardship after he quit work to nurse her. The Australian government also cut off support payments.
The family experienced a stunning outpouring of support after Tarei spoke on Australian television.
They raised $500,000 through an online appeal, ensuring the family could stay in their Sydney home, as well as almost $50,000 from a private fundraising drive to help pay for her treatment.
Media attention also saw the Australian government reinstate support payments and offer backpay.
‘With profound sadness we share the news’: Family remember Dunne
Dunne was remembered in an obituary last Saturday, which said she died in a “serene moment, surrounded by the embrace of her family and an abundance of love”.
The obituary read: “On behalf of Mudzz Tarei and the family, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has offered prayers, support and kindness during this incredibly difficult time.”
A Kiwi father of six who learned his wife had Stage 4 breast cancer when she was diagnosed on Mother’s Day is now mourning her death in Australia.
“As we collectively mourn the loss of a dear soul, let us also celebrate the legacy of a life well-lived.”
Tarei said: “I don’t know why God chose to take you. It just doesn’t seem fair. My heart just hurts. You battled hard all the way - by far one of the strongest ever. But man, [it] was the hardest day of my life watching my soulmate take her last breath.
“Seeing my boys cry for their mother and knowing you won’t get to see them grow up just broke my heart.”
Cancer diagnosis came after birth of twins
The couple’s youngest children, Kyrie and Nevaeh, brought double joy to the family with their arrival in 2022 but, within a year of their birth, Pania was given the heartbreaking news.
“She was complaining of a sore back but she’d just had the twins six months before that, so we just thought it was from the birth of the twins,” Tareid told A Current Affair.
“[We] didn’t really think it was that bad until it got to a stage where she couldn’t really walk properly and then ... yeah, confirmed probably my worst nightmare, really.”
They initially hoped she could beat the cancer, but Tarei had to watch on as the “backbone of our family” was laid low by the aggressive disease.
“She’s not in a very good state. She can’t really do anything on her own,” he said at the time.
“That’s the hard part, just seeing her, because I know what kind of lady she was. She never liked anyone doing anything for her, she’d do it all on her own.
The family-of-eight already had support from locals, but they faced an uphill battle to keep paying rent on the three-bedroom townhouse they crowded into in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown.
“Things are pretty rough at the moment,” Tarei said at the time.
Then Pania was cut off from her benefit payments, compounding their problems.
“I’m not sure why,” he said. “I tried to contact them.”
“Whatever support we can get would be amazing... There’s definitely challenging times ahead,” he said.
He said he still needed to tell the kids just how sick their mum was.
