Photography: Jess Burges.
Black Ferns star Cheryl Waaka might have been known for her fearlessness on the rugby field. But as she fights for her life against stage four bowel cancer, it’s her kids who are giving her the courage to go on.
Ever since Cheryl collapsed on her kitchen floor and was rushed to hospital in June, her children, son Wakaroa, 16, and daughter Kahurangi, 12, have been by her side. Being open with her kids about her diagnosis, Cheryl’s determined not to shield them from the truth, but to keep life as steady as possible in the Northland home they share.
“There’s no use hiding anything from them,” the 55-year-old says.
“Before chemo started, I said, ‘If Mum’s not well, it’s the treatment doing its job’.”
Supported by whānau
Now, as she undergoes chemotherapy and uses the unfunded drug Avastin, Cheryl credits her whānau for keeping her focused on living.
“The kids are doing really well. It helps that I’m doing so well too,” she explains.
A community that cares
Cheryl is nearing the end of her treatment, with no side effects. The support she’s received from the community and those who raised over $80,000 through Givealittle is helping her through.
“All I must do is heal and I’m very grateful,” she confesses.
“It took me a bit to get used to. I’m not the type to accept help. But once I let people in, the floodgates opened and now I’m a reflection of that. The support’s been a gamechanger for me and my kids.”
A sudden shock
Four months ago, Cheryl and her whānau were completely shocked by the news she had stage four bowel cancer that had also spread to her liver. Up until the emergency surgery, on the same day she almost passed out in pain, the two-time World Cup champion had no clue she was unwell. The only symptom she’d experienced was fatigue.
“But I put that down to working silly hours,” admits Cheryl, who’s Northland Rugby’s lead of the girl’s and women’s game.
“No one thinks they have bowel cancer when they’re feeling tired. “I was up to date with all my screenings and health checks. I’d passed my warrant of fitness.”
Pain that changed everything
But with bowel screening in New Zealand starting at 58, her cancer went undetected. It wasn’t until one morning in June that Cheryl, who’s of Nga¯puhi and Ngāti Raukawa descent, suddenly found herself in agony.
“I’ve never experienced such pain,” she explains.
“Giving birth was easier.”
Rushed to the hospital
Her brother, Brett, a former Northland Taniwha player, got her to a local GP. She was sent immediately to Whangārei Hospital where doctors ordered a CAT scan, suspecting a ruptured appendix. The scan revealed a large tumour in her bowel that required urgent surgery.
Cheryl admits, “I can’t thank my surgeon, William Anderson, enough. He saved my life. When the tumour was found, it was quite big and ready to burst. It would have been all over for me.”
Facing the hardest call
Before she went into theatre, the star player made the toughest call of her life – phoning Brett to let him know that she had bowel cancer.
“I knew I had to be strong for my kids,” Cheryl says.
“My parents were looking over me that day.”
Surgery was successful, but more to come
While the surgery was successful, it revealed the cancer had spread to her liver and that she’d need to have chemotherapy.
She remembers, “My surgeon said, ‘Cheryl, you’re fit, strong and healthy – once you start treatment, that’s going to help you.’”
Support that makes a difference
“Now people come and clean my house, mow lawns and go fishing. I’ve reconnected with my friend Mihi, who’s a nutritionist, and she’s been cooking all my food. I only eat what she gives me – that’s why I look good and feel good. I want to live. I want to give this the best shot I can. If that means I can’t have hot chips, so be it.”
When she discovered she’d need to pay $70,000 for 12 cycles of Avastin, which is not funded in New Zealand, Cheryl planned to re-mortgage her house to cover the cost. Then three friends started a Givealittle page. By the time the campaign closed, it’d raised $83,000.
Letting people in
Cheryl tells, “My son showed me and said, ‘Look Mum, we’re going to be OK. That’s when it hit me – I’ve got to let people in.”
Former teammates, rugby colleagues and even complete strangers have all contributed. As she waits for the results of a scan to check her progress, she has a message for Kiwis.
“Get screened, even if you’re healthy. Look at me: I was too young to be screened and I was non-symptomatic. But even if you’re well, ask for a bowel screening test. “As my surgeon said, ‘If the screening age was 50, we’d have picked this up and your story would be different’.”
