By rights, Cherie Araiti shouldn’t be here. When she was just one, the Aucklander was diagnosed with a rare blood disease and doctors gave her parents a bleak prognosis – she wasn’t going to make it past her seventh birthday.
But at 44 years old, the determined teaching assistant has more than proved the experts wrong. She beams, “Every day, I punch the air and think, ‘Yes, I’m alive!’ Other people might say, ‘Poor you,’ but to me, this is what I have and I just get on with life.”
Cherie, who has worked at South Auckland’s Manurewa Intermediate School for the past 17 years, has received over 1000 units of lifesaving blood. She has transfusions every five weeks, requiring her to spend a full day in hospital.
“I love what I do and I’m lucky I have an accommodating boss,” she says. “When it’s close to the time I have a transfusion, I’m like a wind-up toy. I feel really tired and ready to stop working. After the transfusion, my colour returns and I feel warm, but I don’t feel the benefits until about three days later. By then, it’s Monday and I’m back at school, batteries recharged and buzzing!”
Adopted at birth, Cherie was just weeks old when her late parents Eddie and Leah took her to hospital with a high fever. After many anxious months of waiting, the youngster was diagnosed with the rare blood disorder beta-thalassemia intermedia, a potentially fatal condition that causes anaemia and other health issues.
“The doctors basically told my parents to take me home and enjoy the time we had left together,” tells Cherie.
But much to her family’s relief, their “stubborn” child surpassed the seven-year milestone and, at the age of 11, she began the monthly regime of blood transfusions that continue to this day.
At 16, Cherie met the man who was to become her soulmate, Terry. But it took him a further six years to win her over. She smiles, “At first, I was hesitant to become involved with him because of my condition, so we were just good friends. He knew I would have transfusions and be ill, but I didn’t go into it in any great detail.
“I wasn’t sure how he would react. Finally, one day, I pulled out my big box of needles and said, ‘This is me – if you want to be with me, take me as I am!’ But rather than being put off, Terry replied, ‘Oh, cool! Can you show me how they work?’”
Terry, who builds custom trailers, and Cherie have now been together for 22 years and married for 14. As well as helping his wife with her medication and equipment, Terry offers Cherie love and support, and he was her rock when she lost both of her parents, who she says passed on their positive attitude to life.
The couple now live in her parents’ former home, alongside Cherie’s sister Leah, 42, her partner Vicky, and Leah’s daughter Danica, 19, as well as two feisty cockatiels, Jade and Jazz.
“I really enjoy living with them all,” smiles Cherie. “It’s a good set-up. One of the cockatiels, Jade, is 23 years old. Apparently, they aren’t meant to live for that long, but it seems she takes after me!”
Courageous Cherie has seen her life expectancy move from seven to 20 years, then 25 and 30. With every milestone conquered, she stands tall, dusts herself off and continues to live life to the fullest. “My parents taught me to reach for the stars and believe in myself. The only person who can limit you is you.”
Currently, only 4% of the eligible population of New Zealand donates blood. Cherie calls these people her “heroes”, but she encourages Kiwis to do more. “Without people’s donations, I wouldn’t be here today, living a life I love, with the family I love. I am so grateful.”
Find out how you can donate blood
Donating blood has become even easier thanks to new technology. The New Zealand Blood Service is launching an app that puts the power to save lives in the palm of the user’s hand. As well as being able to book appointments, find donation points and share their stories on social media, donors who download the app will also receive a special “thank you” notification when their blood has been used to help save a fellow Kiwi’s life. To find the app, search for “NZ Blood Donor Service” in your device’s app store.
