Amelia's strength through setback
When Amelia began having severe pain in her stomach last year, she didn’t panic at first.
The mum-of-three had recently come back from an extended family holiday in Australia and Bali, and aside from the pain, everything was going well.
“We were just a happy family living in Upper Hutt,” she says. “The kids were two, four and six at the time. We were all in good health, and I actually had a good immune system, so I’d rarely get coughs and colds.”
But over time, the pain in her stomach got worse. She was struggling to keep food down, and soon she couldn’t even keep water down. “That’s when the emergency department took me seriously,” she recalls.
A PET scan initially suggested ovarian cancer that had spread to her stomach. But more tests uncovered the real cause of her pain – acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Amelia was rushed to Wellington Hospital to begin urgent treatment.
“It was straight into some quite intense chemo,” she says. “I was hospitalised for about a month and a half.”
While still coming to terms with her diagnosis, Amelia was visited by Nicki from Blood Cancer NZ. “She was easy to talk to and very supportive,” Amelia says. “It was always so nice when she would pop in for a chat.”
Even when she was eventually allowed home, Amelia spent much of her time back at the day ward for treatment. “It was exhausting,” she recalls. “And I really struggled with not being there for my kids.”
During this time, Amelia was thankful for Blood Cancer NZ’s Kids’ Club. It gave her children a place to have fun and connect with other kids going through a similar journey.
After a few more months of treatment, Amelia was relieved to hear she was in remission. But when a follow-up PET scan showed three active areas, her heart sank.
“They said it looked like the leukaemia was back.”
Thankfully, a repeat scan brought good news. “All of the three areas had gone – it turns out it was just an infection.”
The next step was an allogeneic stem cell transplant. Finding a donor seemed impossible at first, until her mum reached out to Amelia’s biological father and her two half-siblings. “One of them wasn’t a match, but the younger one was,” Amelia says. “So I had bone marrow donated by my brother, who I’d never even met. I’m very grateful to him.”
Her transplant went ahead in June this year. While it was an important milestone in her treatment, the recovery was incredibly tough.
“It was a rocky road,” she says. “I ended up staying in hospital for three months. I had so many infections, and the worst was toxoplasmosis, which attacked my brain. I literally can’t remember a couple of days – apparently, I had a seizure. My thoughts were addled, and I was very confused. But I’m so thankful for the hospital stuff. The nurses were amazing.”
Through it all, Amelia’s family have been an incredible source of support. Her in-laws moved in to help with the kids while she was in hospital, and her mum never left her side. “Mum stayed with me every night after my transplant,” Amelia says. “She’s been really exceptional.” She was also grateful for her community, who prayed for her and provided an endless supply of frozen meals.
As the weeks in hospital dragged on, Amelia found that the small things made a big difference. “Getting sunlight helped me so much,” she says. “If your bed isn’t by the window, ask to go somewhere you can access sunlight. And then as you get better, getting fresh air outside really helps.”
She also used the hospital’s psychology service, which she would recommend to other patients who are struggling. “It was a helpful place to vent, and it gave me some strategies for reframing my worries.”
After three long months, she was finally discharged from the hospital. Coming home in spring brought an extra lift for Amelia, who loves nature and lives next to a river reserve.
Although it was amazing to be back with her family after so many months away, it was also challenging in ways she hadn’t expected.
“I wasn’t sure what my role was anymore,” she admits. “I couldn’t jump straight back into being a stay-at-home mum, doing everything for the kids around the house. I just don’t have the energy. But it’s fantastic being together as a family again, spending time with the kids, making sure they know they’re loved.”
As Amelia adjusts to life after her transplant, her advice for others living with leukaemia is simple but powerful: “Get help if you need it. And even though it’s hard, just try to take it one day at a time.”
