Since new Kiwi reality show Ready Gamer Mum first loaded up on our screens, viewers have fallen in love with the heart-warming concept of mothers teaming up with their gaming-mad kids to compete for a $50,000 prize.
But for Palmerston North mum-and-son duo Janelle Wilson and Liam Craw, the show was about second chances and making every moment count. Just a few years ago, Janelle, 50, was working gruelling 80-hour weeks as a midwife, juggling the pressures of caring for others, all while raising a busy blended family. Then her life changed in an instant.
“I started noticing that I couldn’t swallow food properly,” she recalls.
“I went to the doctor and was told it was probably nothing, but I knew something wasn’t right.”
After seeking a private diagnosis, Janelle learned she had stage-four oesophageal cancer that had already spread to her stomach.
“It was terrifying,” she says.
“I had chemotherapy, radiation and major surgery all within a very short period of time.”
During treatment, Janelle was unable to eat and relied on feeding tubes for nutrition. Meanwhile, her son Liam, now 24, was thousands of kilometres away in the US on a football scholarship, studying English and theatre.
“It was really hard knowing Mum was sick while I was overseas,” Liam admits.
“But Mum kept saying, ‘What are you going to do if you come home?’ She didn’t want me giving up my future.”
Family first, always
Even while facing her own mortality, Janelle was still putting her kids first.Although the distance was difficult, the experience was profound for both of them.
“Cancer made me realise that life is too short not to take opportunities,” says Janelle.
“You suddenly understand how precious time with your family really is.”
Family has always been at the centre of Janelle’s world. Alongside her four kids, she’s also helped raise a foster daughter, and she and her partner now have custody of her grandson. Being surrounded by family is exactly where she wants to be.
A healthier way of living
While recovering, Janelle spent long hours researching how cancer survivors changed their lives after treatment. What she discovered has completely changed the way her family lives.
“There’s so much research about preservatives, chemicals and processed foods,” she explains.
“I realised I wanted to live the healthiest and happiest life possible.”
Today, the family lives a dramatically different life. On their lifestyle block, they grow vegetables, raise sheep and aim to produce as much of their own food as possible.
“A week ago, we had a roast dinner where every single thing on the table had come from us,” Janelle says proudly.
“The lamb, the vegetables – everything.”
It’s a far cry from her former life as an exhausted midwife rushing between shifts.
“I loved my job, but cancer taught me there’s more to life than working constantly and earning money,” she says.
“If you don’t have your health, nothing else really matters.”
Finding joy in every day
Now Janelle spends her days gardening, caring for animals and soaking up time with family.
“I wake up excited for the day now,” she says.
“Every day above ground is a good one.”
For Liam, watching his mum rebuild her life with such positivity has been deeply inspiring.
He says, “She’s always had this attitude of, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ That mindset definitely rubbed off on me.”
Taking a chance together
So when Liam spotted a casting ad for Ready Gamer Mum over breakfast one morning, it felt like fate.
He laughs, “I said, ‘Mum, wouldn’t it be funny if we did this?’ And she immediately said yes.”
For Janelle, there was never another option.
“After everything we’d been through, any opportunity to spend time together was something I wanted to grab with both hands,” she says.
Despite Liam being the more experienced gamer, both admit the idea of competing on television was daunting.
“Gaming on national TV was scarier than cancer treatment,” Janelle laughs.
“With cancer, I always believed I would survive. But gaming meant the whole country could watch me look silly!”
Closer than ever
Fortunately, viewers fell in love with the pair’s warm dynamic and unwavering positivity.
“We’ve always been really close,” says Liam.
“We do escape rooms together and spend a lot of time together anyway, but the show definitely brought us even closer.”
Janelle says they spent years enjoying each other’s company as Liam was growing up and made time for shared interests, including gaming.
“It was always something we did as a family,” she tells.
“Sometimes connecting with your kids means stepping into their world.”
Grateful for everyday
These days, whether they’re gaming or sharing dinner around the table, both say they’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff.
“Life is too short to be miserable,” Janelle muses.
“You wake up in the morning and you get another day – that’s a gift.”
And after nearly losing his mum, Liam doesn’t take that gift for granted.
“I’m definitely more appreciative that Mum is still here,” he says. “Now we just enjoy every opportunity that comes along.”
Ready Gamer Mum screens 7.30pm Thursdays on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ+.
