The Smith Family - Whangarei

Jess and Tyson live in Whangārei with their four beautiful children: Myles, five, Kaiya, three, Romy, 22 months, and Ariya, nine months. 

As a family of six, life is busy, but they love nothing more than spending time together. Their days are filled with exploring the outdoors, bike rides, swimming and fishing, as well as cheering on Myles as he plays Rippa rugby and basketball. “We just love family time,” Jess says, “being outdoors together and watching the kids have fun is what we enjoy most.” 

But in August last year, their family life changed in a way they could never have imagined. 

Kaiya had started falling asleep at all hours of the day, while her appetite had decreased significantly. Jess and Tyson also noticed that her stomach had become distended and hard. Her mobility was getting worse too, and walking had become incredibly painful. “She couldn’t walk because it was so painful,” Jess says. “She was also unable to go to the toilet without it being really sore.” 

The symptoms were frightening, and the family soon learned the reason behind them: their little girl had cancer. For Jess and Tyson, the diagnosis brought shock and disbelief. “We really couldn’t believe that what was happening with our child was cancer,” Jess says, “we felt hopeless too, because we couldn’t help our own girl ourselves.” 

What followed has been an incredibly difficult journey for three-year-old Kaiya and her family. Since August last year, Kaiya has undergone five rounds of chemotherapy, surgery to remove her tumour, two bone marrow transplants, radiation and five rounds of immunotherapy. Her treatment journey has been long and, at times, extremely challenging. “It’s not been an easy ride for Kaiya,” Jess says. “She had many issues arise while receiving treatment, which prolonged her recovery in between each one.” 

For her parents, some of the hardest moments have been seeing their bright, energetic little girl become so weak. “She lost her hair, which was really hard to see,” Jess says, “our little girl had such beautiful long hair.” 

There were also days when Kaiya didn’t have the energy to wake up or play with her favourite toys - moments that were incredibly difficult for her family to watch. Through it all, the family have had one another. And when Kaiya’s treatment meant travelling away from home, Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand gave them something just as important: the chance to stay together. “For us, the most important thing about staying at the House was that our family was able to all be together and close to Kaiya while she was receiving treatment,” Jess says. 

Being able to have a warm and welcoming place to return to after long days at the hospital made a huge difference. “Whānau nights were always a lovely evening,” Jess says, “having a lovely hot meal while talking with other families was a great way to unwind after a long day at the hospital.” The relationships they formed at the House became part of the experience too. “The welcoming staff and building great relationships with them was really special,” Jess says.  

For a family living 2.5 hours away from the hospital, having somewhere to stay close by also meant they could avoid the exhausting and expensive journey home each day. “Without RMHC NZ, we would have had to travel back and forth,” Jess says, “we live over two hours away, so it would have limited our time as a family being together and would have been stressful financially with the cost of fuel.” 

Instead, the House gave the family a place to rest, reconnect and simply be together during an incredibly uncertain time. “Ronald McDonald House has been such a blessing to our family,” Jess says, “we have enjoyed all of our stays there.” 

And while Kaiya’s treatment journey is not yet over, with treatment expected to continue until the end of this year, Jess remains focused on her daughter and the hope that lies ahead. The family have found moments of joy along the way, with activities at the House helping to keep the younger children entertained and giving the whole family small moments of normality during an otherwise overwhelming time. “The activities you put on for the kids have made it easy to keep them entertained when needed,” Jess says. 

Above all, Jess wants to acknowledge the people who have helped carry her family through one of the hardest seasons of their lives. “The volunteers are amazing,” she says, “we can’t thank you enough.” 

For this family, the road ahead may still hold challenges, but they are facing it together -surrounded by love, supported by their community and holding onto hope for the day when cancer is no longer part of Kaiya’s story.