Northland whānau's joy ‘THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING US'

Their brave boy beat the odds because of the generosity of everyday Kiwis

Dargaville mum Megan Kareko was receiving treatment for stage 3 breast cancer when she found out she was pregnant with her second child. While news of an impending arrival is normally a joyous occasion, all Megan could feel was sadness and disbelief. “I don’t have the opportunity to have this child,” she thought.

Megan made the decision to have a mastectomy and, luckily, by the time she healed from her surgery, she was past her first trimester and safe to continue treatment while carrying her baby.

She and her partner Conrad Tui proudly welcomed their beautiful baby boy Makai Manuhiri Emerson Kareko-Tui on April 20, 2018, but she recalls, “Straight away, I knew something was different with my son.”

HOW TO HELP

This June, Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand needs to raise $500,000 to continue providing vital accommodation and practical support for the ever-increasing number of families who need a place to stay when their child is undergoing medical treatment. It costs $171 to house a family for a night and we’re calling on Kiwis to join the fight to fund a family like the Kareko-Tuis by donating at rmhc.org.nz.

When Makai was just a week old, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. Megan tells, “I couldn’t help the tears from falling. I sobbed and sobbed. I didn’t care that my son had Down syndrome. What I didn’t want was the stigma that society places on children like him.”

Holding her beloved boy in her arms, she repeated, “You are smart. You are kind. You are important.”