- Awhi Hollran, 38, from Te Awamutu, NZ has a son called Tyson
- When his gums looked pale, he was later diagnosed with leukaemia
- Later in remission, his cancer returned three more times, so his family tested to see if they were a compatible stem cell match
Here Awhi shares her story in her own words.
Flying down the field at his touch rugby game, my son Tyson, nine, was unstoppable.
It was December 2019 and he loved nothing more than playing sports or riding his BMX bike. But by the next month, Tyson had lost all his energy.
‘Mum, my back’s sore,’ he said one evening.
His gums looked really pale too so his dad Alex, 35, and I took him to the GP.
Tests turned into referrals, and suddenly, we were at the Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland.
In March 2020, the diagnosis came. Tyson had leukaemia – a type of blood cancer.
‘It’s B-cell hypodiploid acute lymphoblastic leukaemia,’ the specialist told us. ‘I’m afraid that means it’s very high risk.’
Alex and I were distraught at the thought we might lose our precious boy. Treatment started immediately with chemotherapy, blood transfusions and lumbar punctures. Tyson lost his hair and felt sick.
He hit remission that July, only to relapse again in April 2022.
But in June 2024, the nightmare returned for a third time.
This time Tyson also had myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of cancers that occur when the bone marrow produces too few normal blood cells. He had chemo but it didn’t work.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
ALL is characterised by overproduction of immature white blood cells and a lack of red cells, normal white cells and platelets.ALL symptoms include:
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
*low iron
*frequent or repeated infections
*unexplained bleeding or bruising
*bone and joint pain
*swollen lymph nodes
*chest pain
*abdominal discomfort
‘I’m sorry, his only real chance is a stem cell transplant,’ the specialist told us.
Alex and I, along with two of Tyson’s younger siblings, Jaeda, 13, and Weston, nine, all got tested to see if we were a compatible stem cell match. Our other children Karter, five, and Mia, four, were too young.
We were all 50 per cent compatible, but Jaeda, being closest in age to her brother, with just 11 months between them, was deemed the best match.
‘I’ll be his donor,’ she said immediately.
‘Are you sure?’ we asked.
She and her brother fought like any siblings, but I knew they loved each other fiercely.
‘Yes, I am,’ she said without hesitation. ‘He’s my brother.’
She told the doctors the same thing, willingly signing the consent form. Bursting with pride, we signed it too.
On transplant day last October, Jaeda was wheeled into surgery and over a litre of bone marrow was extracted from her hip bones under anaesthesia.
Alex and I clung to each other in the waiting room, praying she’d be okay. Risks included anaesthesia complications, and damage to bone, nerve or muscle.
‘‘Your sister’s a superhero,’ I told Tyson.’
Then the bags of her marrow, still warm, were taken to Tyson’s room. He held them on his lap, like they were the most valuable treasure in the world.
‘This is from Jaeda, huh?’ he said, marvelling at them.
‘Yes,’ I smiled through my tears. ‘Your sister’s a superhero.’
The transplant was surreal. As we watched those bags of life drip into my son’s chest, we all prayed for a miracle.
Jaeda joined us later that day, pale and aching, but smiling.
‘Thanks Jaeda,’ Tyson said tearfully to her. ‘You’ve saved my life.’
‘I’m glad I could do it,’ she replied, hugging him.
Tired and sore for a while, she made a complete recovery in a week.
On the 30 day mark after the transplant, Tyson, who stayed at Ronald McDonald House Auckland, was declared cancer free.
His results on days 60 and 90 also showed no signs of cancer.
Jaeda’s bone marrow had done the job perfectly.
Six months on Tyson, now 15, is back home and healthy.
His half-siblings Kyan, 19, Keishana, 18, Pacey, 18, and his younger siblings Jaeda, now 14, Weston, nine, Karter, five, and Mia, four, are all thrilled.
While he hasn’t been able to play sports these past five years since his diagnosis, he has become a terrific cook, often making dinner for our family of 10, and hopes to become a chef one day.
I’m so proud of Tyson, for his courage, and Jaeda, for her selflessness. Her act of love gave her brother another chance at life, and she never once complained.
They now have a bond that’ll never be broken.
Visit leukaemia.org.au
