Hearing the news that you have cancer is something no-one wants to hear and yet it happens every day.
Amanda Acheson was told last May that she has leukemia. The news was shocking and while she has since received treatment, Amanda has also shared her story so we can get a glimpse into what it's like to go through this awful disease.
Below are Amanda's words.
A leukemia diagnosis is not something anyone prepares for. It arrived uninvited on 1 May 2025 after a routine blood test and immediately redrew the map of my life. When I first heard the words, time seemed to become a before and after. Yet what has unfolded since has not only been a story of a diagnosis but is becoming one of a beautiful transformation.
Leukemia stripped life back very quickly to its essentials. It asked me to slow down, to listen more closely to my body, and to become present in ways I had hoped for but my usual busy life didn't allow time for me to practice.
As a mother, wife, counsellor, youth worker and many other roles, my life didn't allow space for this sort of inconvenience.
But leukemia didn't ask for permission.
In the midst of uncertainty, I discovered unexpected clarity. Each day became less about rushing forward and more about meeting the moment as it was, sometimes fragile, often challenging, but also deeply human.
I learnt language that became life giving for me. Not battling or fighting this disease that was in my body, but for me, the only way I was going to be able to live well through the treatment was to lovingly nurture my body, as to nurture a sick child.
Practices like meditation, prayer, exercise, and nourishing food became my anchors. Meditation offered a place of calm amid the noise of fear and uncertainty, helping me to breathe through the wobbly days and rest in the moments of peace. Movement, even when limited, reminded me that my body was still capable, still participating in healing. These practices were not about perfection, but about partnership with my body rather than battle against it.
Equally transformative has been the support of others. Family, friends, and wider support networks who have been so loyal. Their presence reminded me that illness does not have to be carried alone. They also gave me moments of laughter which have been great for the soul.
The medical staff and health system have been nothing short of extraordinary. Their skill, dedication, and compassion have carried me through some of the most vulnerable moments of my life. Beyond treatments and protocols, there has been unbelievable kindness, reassuring voices, and an unwavering commitment to care. I feel immense gratitude for a system that holds people with such professionalism and heart when they are at their weakest.
The Cancer Society's Daffodil House in Dunedin deserves special gratitude. It provided not just accommodation but a home away from home during hospital stays. In a time when everything felt clinical and uncertain, Daffodil House offered comfort, community, and a gentle place to land.
Leukemia has undeniably changed me. It has deepened my gratitude, exposed my vulnerabilities, reshaped my priorities, and strengthened my capacity for compassion, both for myself and for others. While I would never choose this path, this journey has taught me that healing is not only physical, but deeply relational and human, and that the smallest moments, a breath, a kindness, a steady hand, carry great value, ahakoa he iti, he pounamu.
There's real power in Amanda's message. She's not fighting cancer but is giving herself the best possible care and time needed to heal. Being able to stay at Daffodil House in Dunedin has been, as she says, likened to a home away from home - a sanctuary, a community and a safe place to stay.
Your support has enabled us to be able to provide this to Amanda and many others who have received the same news and have needed a place to stay when going through their treatment.
We can't do it without you so will you donate once more so we can continue providing accommodation and many more services to people in our community who have cancer?
Thank you, your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Check out all our latest news
We've welcomed our new CEO, Christine Prince, who joined us recently and we've launched a pilot programme to boost cancer outcomes for Pacific communities in Canterbury. Click here to read more.