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Young Auckland mother Kendal Buchanan has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer after battling breast cancer for two years.
Last week she was told she had two months to live, but her family fear she only has days.
Buchanan’s sister told the Herald she “really wanted to fight” for her two children – Ezra, 8, and Koen, 5.
A young Auckland mother is feared to have days left to live after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer after a two-year journey fighting breast cancer.
Kendal Buchanan, 34, was last week told she had two months to live – but her family believe she only has a couple of days left in her.
Speaking to the Herald, Buchanan’s older sister, Candice, said the past two years had been “very hard” for the family.
“It’s so difficult, especially for me and my brother. There’s three of us and now we’re losing one. That’s so hard that there’s just going to be two of us left.”
Reflecting on her sister’s journey, Buchanan said it started when they were both contacted by a female cousin in 2022, informing them that she had tested positive for a mutated BRCA2 gene.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are found in everyone and are normally expressed in cells of the breasts and other tissue, where they help repair damaged DNA. But they can mutate and increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
Buchanan said as soon as her sister heard the news, she decided to get tested – which found she also had a BRCA2 gene mutation.
“She went and had an MRI and that’s when they found the cancer in her breast,” she said.
“She wasn’t taking any chances, she had a mastectomy and of course she was so devastated by that because she had a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old at the time.”
Many women who test positive for the gene mutation opt to remove their breasts, which reduces the risk of developing cancer by 95%.
“She did everything that she could. She had radiation, chemotherapy,” Buchanan said.
Cancer was found in a couple of her lymph nodes on her right side, which were subsequently removed.
Buchanan said Kendal was cleared after that, until the beginning of 2024 when she had a big seizure at work.
“She had been having migraines for a long time so she went and saw her GP ... That’s when she was diagnosed with brain cancer.”
Kendal Buchanan was diagnosed with brain cancer after a seizure at work at the beginning of the year. She had been suffering migraines for some time.
An encapsulated tumour was found, which she had surgery to remove before having radiation therapy on her brain.
“A few weeks ago she was feeling really rubbish and she thought it was just from the radiation, so they did a scan and saw the cancer was just all over her brain,” Buchanan said.
She said the cancer was over the meninges – the layers of membranes that cover and protect your brain and spinal cord.
Kendal went to the specialist last Monday, where she was told she had two months to live.
Buchanan said her sister has lived for her two young children – Ezra, 8, and Koen, 5 – and everything she did was to give them a good experience.
At the beginning of this year, Kendal took to social media reflecting on the past 12 months, saying; “I did go through a lot.
“From operations, procedures, infections, hematoma, chemo, radiation, skin change, body change (inside and out), lack of energy levels, bone density infusion, menopause and I couldn’t count the hospital visits I’ve been to – all while raising two beautiful tiny humans,” the post read.
“So this year I’m not surviving. This year’s about living.”
Kendal Buchanan's sister said she "really wanted to fight for her kids”.
Reflecting on her sister’s life, Buchanan said she loved skulls – which was uncanny as she was destined to die around Halloween.
“She’s always, always been into skulls and coffins and death and all that kind of stuff. She’s very much that kind of girl. And now that she’s passing away around Halloween, it’s very fitting for her.”
She described Kendal as someone who “just loved to be with her friends and family”.
Kendal’s journey had been “really rough” on her cousins – a lot of them have also tested positive for the BRCA2 gene.
“It’s very terrifying for them that they’re potentially going to have to go through this. We’ve already lost so many of our family members young.
“Not just the people that are positive, because we love them. It’s our siblings, cousins, aunties and uncles that have to fight this gene now that they’ve watched Kendal suffer.”
Buchanan said her sister had been in an inpatient hospice unit in Auckland for the past three days, surrounded by friends and family.
“The last few weeks everybody has been there for her. All our cousins far and wide have travelled and spent time with her.”
