Deeper understanding
Your support will help research into how to use the immune system to fight disease.
Better treatments
Your support will help our scientists develop new immunotherapies to more effectively treat disease.
Support better treatments
Fairer access
Your support will help us develop treatments that are affordable and accessible to all.
Support fairer access
My name is Kate
I am a proud New Zealander, a loving wife, mother to two amazing girls. I am a keen sports enthusiast, enjoy travelling, eating out and the odd game of scrabble!
I am a cancer survivor.
When I’m asked to describe my journey with cancer and the treatment I had to go through to survive, there is one word that comes to mind. Brutal.
Absolutely brutal.
In 2021, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and after about a year of gruelling chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, as well as navigating the Covid pandemic, I thankfully entered remission.
I had survived. Battered, but alive and thankful.
Then, the unthinkable happened. In August 2022, just before my daughter’s birthday, I received a phone call from the hospital. My recent blood work had come back and was looking concerning.
I now had leukaemia.
My husband was away at the time and I remember going outside and rocking in the bushes so my girls couldn’t hear what was going on.
To have done my bit with breast cancer only to find out I had leukaemia brought on from the breast cancer treatment – that 0.05% chance you sign on the dotted line. To have to break the news to my family – again, to have that conversation a second time, to need to face more rounds of chemotherapy and treatment, it just felt totally unfair.
But if the first round of cancer taught me one thing, it was resilience. I faced the diagnosis and embarked on another year of treatment – further rounds of ruthless chemotherapy, long stints in the hospital and ICU, a stem cell transplant that left my immune system burnt out, all while facing the emotional turmoil that comes with a cancer diagnosis.
I would not wish this journey on anyone!
Your journey with cancer never really ends, and the brutal treatment I had to go through will take a toll on my body for many years to come.
The experience changes you in every aspect of your being, your values, your relationships, your outlook on life.Through this harrowing journey, there are silver linings. I discovered the strength within me. I became a relentless optimist, relying on tools like breathwork, meditation and positivity to weather the storm.
I learned the true value of hope. If you don’t have hope, it’s tricky to pull yourself out of the lows – and believe me, there were many.
The Malaghan Institute is making strides, but they can’t do it alone, they need us, their community! Your support could mean the difference between years of waiting and immediate access to life-changing treatments. The thought of CAR T-cell therapy being available for my leukaemia, without the brutality of repeated chemo, radiation and the toll it has taken on my body.
The research happening at the Malaghan Institute is a beacon of hope for those that will face disease in the future, for my family, for your family, for all of us.
Beating cancer shouldn't be this hard, and with your help, it won't be.
By training the immune system to better recognise and fight cancer we can create gentler, more effective treatments that last, like CAR T-cell therapy. CAR T-cell therapy is a one-off treatment, that works by redirecting a patient’s own immune cells (T-cells) to identify and attack their cancer cells. CAR T-cells have the potential to act as ‘living drugs’, providing long-term protection against relapse.
We need your help to make this transformative treatment a standard of care in New Zealand hospitals, accessible and affordable for all those who could benefit from it.
Through ongoing research we aim to expand this immunotherapy to other cancer types, paving the way for a new era in highly personalised, gentler treatments.
Without research there is no cure to disease.
When you donate to Malaghan you are helping to create a future where diseases like cancer can be prevented and cured and treatment is accessible and affordable for all.
Join Us
Account Name: The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research
Account Number: 06-0507-0052635-30
Your reference: First name & Last name or supporter ID
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