Cancer battler puts wish to music

STARRY-EYED: Kirsty McKenzie met her idol, New Zealand hip hop artist Savage to record her song last month.

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The message in Kirsty McKenzie’s song sums up her five-year battle with bone cancer.

"It’s about things getting better, having faith and not giving up," she says.

At 16, Kirsty has overcome two years of tests, several bouts of chemotherapy and a bone transplant to replace what the doctors had to remove.

Last month she recorded a song with New Zealand hip hop artist Savage thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation.

"It’s about my experiences with cancer.

"If you believe in yourself you can do anything," says the St Heliers Bay resident.

"I didn’t want something material because things go out of fashion. I wanted a memory that would last for ages.

"TVs break and I didn’t need to make a wish in order to get one.

"So I decided to choose something that I had a passion for."

That passion is singing and Savage.

With a collection of Savage’s albums, Kirsty says she admires his work as a hip hop artist.

Together, the pair wrote and recorded a song at Stebbing Studios in Ponsonby.

"He’s really cool," she says.

"I was a bit intimidated at first, but he’s such a cool guy."

Now, Kirsty’s future is looking brighter.

"The prognosis was good from the start.

"It didn’t travel and I got good results from the chemo. I’ve been in remission for over a year."

Kirsty is focused on finishing her hairdressing apprenticeship at Rodney Wayne in Eastridge shopping mall and completing level 2 NCEA via correspondence.

She also wants to carve out a career in music.

"My whole life I’ve been singing.

"I come from a musical family. Mum sings and my aunts and uncles play musical instruments."

She looks forward to the day her song will be played on the radio, and until then hopes to continue writing and recording.

Anyone between the ages of three and 18 is eligible for the Make A Wish Foundation.

The organisation aims to grant the wish of a child with a life-threatening illness.

Make A Wish New Zealand was launched in 1987 as a non-profit organisation.

To make a donation phone 0900-49-474 or visit www.makeawish.org.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News