Autumn Tangohau was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia last year.
Autumn Tangohau was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia last year.
When 11-year-old Autumn Tangohau fell off her bike, she sustained bruising that “looked like she was picked up and thrown around like a little rag doll”.
Within 24 hours, she was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Her mother, Tina Maria Grey, told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend despite it not being a “big” fall, Autumn had “deep bruises” and woke up the next morning looking pale.
Grey took her to the doctors who did some tests and confirmed the diagnosis.
As a solo mother, Grey is sharing her daughter’s story to let other parents know who may be going through the same thing that “they’re not on their own”.
“We do have a little girl named Autumn that’s going through this too.”
Data from Te Whatu Ora Lakes showed there were “one or two” diagnoses of children under 15 each year in the Lakes district. There have been no young people aged between 15 and 24 diagnosed with leukaemia in the year ending June 30, 2023.
Tina Grey and her daughter Autumn Tangohau receive support from the Ronald McDonald House, the Child Cancer Foundation and Aroha Mai Cancer Support Services in Rotorua.
Autumn was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in December 2022.
Grey believed her daughter’s condition was not terminal but it was still “life-threatening”.
“Because of her age, there’s a high chance of her [recovering.]”
Grey said her symptoms included getting “hot and cold sweats” and losing weight.
“I did take her to the hospital and the doctors with her fevers but they went away just spontaneously. So they would just come and go and the doctors couldn’t find anything.”
On Boxing Day, Autumn fell off her bike, Grey said.
“But it wasn’t a big fall. But her bruising looked like she was picked up and thrown around like a little rag doll. They were really deep bruises.
“I woke up the next morning and she just looked really pale.”
On December 27, Grey took her to the doctors who did some testing.
“And I was told at Rotorua Hospital that she had leukaemia.”
Grey said she “screamed” into her hand and remembered asking, ‘Are you sure? Can you do more tests? This isn’t right’.”
“It’s still life-threatening, no matter what. I have to, pretty much, protect her from all the germs, all the bugs. Because it’s winter, we don’t go out.”
Grey said it was hard having a social life as a mother and she wanted to connect with “like-minded” parents who understood what she was going through.
“You don’t know there are actual families around your community that have it ... I’ve never met anyone else in Rotorua that’s actually had cancer until we got cancer.”
Grey said the Child Cancer Foundation supported them by providing food and petrol vouchers and counselling. Aroha Mai Cancer Support Services in Rotorua helped by dropping off food and were the family’s main support as their whānau lived out of town.
Their accommodation was provided through Ronald McDonald House and once a week, a teacher from Northern Health School came to their home and spent time with Autumn.
Autumn’s school, Rotokawa Primary School, also fundraised money for “whatever Autumn wanted”.
“I’m very grateful [to] the school for doing that.”
Aroha Mai Cancer Support Services chief executive Bubsie MacFarlane said the organisation was supporting Grey and Autumn.
She said it also helped other cancer patients and their families navigate the health system and access support through Work and Income, counselling, and petrol vouchers if they had to travel to other cities for treatment.
“I think our services are unique because ... when they come in, my main kaupapa is to ensure that they walk out with their mana intact.”
MacFarlane said it helped sort out other issues relating to the cancer diagnosis, for example, a family going from two incomes to one income, or no income.
MacFarlane said the organisation received “minimal” funding from Te Whatu Ora and was negotiating for further funding with Te Aka Whai Ora - Māori Health Authority. It had nine volunteers in Rotorua and Taupō.
Te Whatu Ora Lakes hospital and specialist services interim lead Alan Wilson said the numbers of children with cancer and leukaemia were low.
Wilson said there was “strong international evidence” that survival was best when managed by “large tertiary hospitals” such as Starship.
A “shared care” model was in place where local paediatric services provided aspects of care when it could be safely delivered locally and under the leadership of Starship.
Local treatment included blood transfusions, infusions, treatment of infections, and chemotherapy, he said.
Wilson said its paediatric service worked closely with local non-governmental organisation providers to ensure support was available for patients in the community.
He said the National Travel Assistance provided transport to and from appointments in Auckland as well as accommodation. People under 18 and one support person were eligible for this service.
Grey said she was “100 per cent” confident Autumn would beat leukaemia.
She said she was looking forward to “having our family back together” and returning to “normality”.
“Just her going to school ... and just seeing her be a child again.”
What is leukaemia?
Leukaemia is the name given to a group of cancers that develop in the bone marrow. Under normal conditions, the bone marrow contains a small number of healthy immature blood cells, sometimes called blast cells. These immature blood cells mature and develop into red cells, white cells and platelets, which are eventually released into the bloodstream.
Leukaemia originates in developing blood cells, which have undergone a malignant (cancerous) change. Instead of maturing properly, these cells grow and multiply in an uncontrolled fashion and interfere with normal blood cell production in the bone marrow. Most cases of leukaemia originate in developing white cells. In a small number of cases, leukaemia develops in other blood-forming cells, for example in developing red cells or developing platelets.
There are several different types and subtypes of leukaemia.
