Lisa and Lorraine's Story

My story is actually not mine, it is my determined, strong spirited Mother's story. My Mum (Lorraine) was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocitic Leukaemia (CLL) in 2004 and so began Mum's long journey with hospital admissions and navigating the health system.

Mum has had so many hospital admissions due to CLL and the illness compromising her immune system that I've actually lost count! Mum has endured numerous blood tests, IV treatments, chemotherapy, monthly intragam infusions, MRI scans, CT scans, x-rays and so on.

Foreign hospital lingo is now common place to us as a whanau.

Pneumonia has been Mum's nemesis on more than one occasion and not just your run-of-the-mill pneumonia either. Anyway, the story could be a very, very long one, but to get to the point, over the last 12 years Mum has had so many blood transfusions I've lost count of them as well.

One year in North Shore hospital Mum endured something like 12 transfusions in a matter of days, it was also National Blood Service week and we joked that they should come and take a picture of her so that she could be their poster child! I live in the Far North and Mum is in Auckland so the majority of her health care has been based down there.

I truly believe if it was not for the generosity of kind people donating their blood, platelets, plasma etc. my Mum wouldn't be here today.

I can't stress enough how much our whanau appreciates that lovely eligible people give this gift of life to others. You will all be forever treasured by us.