Teen hoping for success

Bandannas are the fashion statement of the week as CanTeen raises support for young people with cancer. Fifteen-year-old Jess Aupouri talks to JANINE RANKIN about why she wears one.

You get the feeling it would take more than brain cancer to keep Jess Aupouri down.

"She's tough," says her mum, Maraea.

Less than three months on from diagnosis she's back at school, having made a fighting effort to keep up with her studies even while she was in Auckland undergoing radiation treatment, after having major brain surgery in Wellington.

The drama began on July 24. For weeks beforehand she'd had headaches, she'd been on antibiotics, and Mrs Aupouri was concerned.

But that morning the headache was really bad, she had pins and needles and her tongue felt numb.

Usually well-organised, she was having trouble simply getting herself dressed for school.

After that, she doesn't remember much.

Mrs Aupouri tried to get a doctor's appointment, but it was going to be hours. When she explained Jess's symptoms - by now she wasn't fully conscious - she was told to call an ambulance. Within an hour of reaching Palmerston North Hospital the mass on her brain was picked up on a scan, and she was on a Square Trust Helicopter flight to Wellington for emergency surgery to relieve the pressure.

Her first concern on waking up was that someone had taken away her clothes.

Her parents had bigger concerns.

Jess was diagnosed with a germinoma brain tumour, one of the more common cancers to affect young people.

"But if you're going to get cancer, it's one of the ones to have," says father, Steve.

They've been told that following surgery to remove most of the growth and follow-up radiotherapy, there's a 95 percent chance of cure.

Surgery was carried out in Wellington, leaving Jess with a row of 32 staples across her head. The next steps were complicated by the temporary closure of Wellington's paediatric oncology unit to new patients, so she had to go to Auckland for treatment.

"That didn't really worry us," says Mr Aupouri. "So long as she got the treatment."

"We were really on a mission, to get it done, and get her fixed."

The three of them stayed at Ronald McDonald House for about six weeks while Jess had her daily radiotherapy and went to school.

School started at 10am. Jess went along because she felt like doing it, and her teachers at Freyberg helped by sending work.

"Sometimes in the afternoon I would go upstairs for a rest. I just felt a bit tired."

Mrs Aupouri's impressed that's all the complaining Jess did.

"She didn't have anything stronger than panadol for pain, and just something for nausea," says Mrs Aupouri.

Jess's dad says she coped with the whole trauma as well as anyone.

They were forewarned at each step about what could go wrong, about the possibility of needing a blood transfusion, and side effects.

They worried, but Jess recovered really well.

Being so far from their home in Auckland could have been a stress, but the family was overwhelmed with the help and understanding they received.

They had someone to feed Poti the cat. Their flights to and from Auckland, along with a home visit part way through, were taxpayer- funded. Brother Sam, a rugby league player, had a trip north courtesy of the Child Cancer Foundation, which also provided all manner of vouchers to help with living costs. Peer support group CanTeen helped introduce Jess to new friends and provided outings.

"I met heaps of new people," says Jess.

The army granted paid leave, cancelled a posting to Afghanistan, and enabled her dad to work flexible hours at Whenuapai while in Auckland.

It was all quite humbling.

"We're not used to getting stuff from people," says Mr Aupouri.

Jess has an album crammed with get well cards from whanau and friends - the ones from her whanau group are all in Maori - until this year she's been in total immersion Maori education, supported by her mum who's a supervisor at the kohanga reo at Linton.

She's done a full round of thank yous, including letters to the sponsors of the Square Trust Helicopter which she says saved her life.

Jess is now in cramming mode, hoping for success in NCEA level one. The other examination that so much depends on is next month, when she goes back to Auckland for the brain scan that will tell if her treatment has been a success.

Bandannas are on sale until Sunday from various outlets and street sellers, or people can text the word canteen to 883 to support the estimated 12,500 young New Zealanders aged 13 to 24 living with cancer.

- © Fairfax NZ News