Rotorua councillor Fisher Wang praises hospice on anniversary of mum's death

The last time Fisher Wang saw his mother, in 2014. Photo / Supplied

Rotorua councillor Fisher Wang is urging people who can to donate to the Rotorua Community Hospice on the sixth anniversary of his mother's death.

Wang was only 13 years old when he lost his mother to a "very rare and aggressive form of cancer".

He told the Rotorua Daily Post his mother had been his "rock" and he was "deeply impacted" by the loss.

The cancer his mother had was so rare that only seven people were diagnosed with it per year on average and no scans or tests were able to pick it up, he said.

They were told she would only live for three months but she managed to fight her battle for three years, he said.

In her final months, she was admitted to hospice for palliative care.

He said the support he and his family got from hospice nurses, doctors and staff was "amazing" and they stood by the family the entire time.

His mother's condition worsened over time. She was unable to eat and her internal organs began to fail. She died on August 21, 2014.

At such a young age, he said, the support and "sense of stability" the staff at hospice gave him and his family was "phenomenal".

"My mother was able to die with dignity and we were guided so compassionately through the process."

Fisher Wang was the youngest person voted on to Rotorua Lakes Council last year. Photo / File

His mother's resting place is in a cemetery in Ngongotahā, Wang saying he often visited her on tough days or when he wanted to forget about life and talk to his mum.

"I'd like to think she would be proud of me if she was here.

"I wasn't quite into politics when she was alive," he said with a laugh.

He said he looks back on photos and videos of her with "tears in his eyes".

"I was so lucky to have had 13 years of her love ... those are memories I will always cherish."

Wang and a few of his friends participated in Shave for a Cure at John Paul College three different times and managed to raise $30,000 for charity.

The way the community got behind him then and even now was "just incredible", he said.

Today, Wang pledged to donate $1000 to Rotorua Community Hospice in memory of his mother.

He said charities needed support "more than ever" as fundraising was not an option in a Covid-19 world.

"I think it is critical to give back to those charities who do so much for us."

He said hospice was a charity that every person or one of their family members may need at some point in their life.

He encouraged anyone who was in a financial position to help to do so.