Children at Wairakei Primary School make their own tribute to those children who have been affected by cancer. Photo: More FM
Taupō’s Noah Hall passed away last month at the age of just eight, but his family are continuing a campaign this year to try and make a difference for other kids.
By Dan Hutchinson
Noah’s uncle Chris Mercer says it was just over a year ago they went out for a celebratory dinner when Noah’s cancer was officially in remission.
A few months later, the cancer that started in his kidney was back and spreading. Noah and his medical team just couldn’t fix it this time.
Noah was diagnosed with cancer not long after starting school at Taupō Primary School. A sore leg over Easter weekend prompted a visit to Taupō Hospital, and within days he was transferred to Starship Hospital in Auckland.
"We went from being just another normal local family to one that all of a sudden is dealing with a child with cancer," Chris says.
Noah underwent surgery to remove a kidney, and his mother (Chris’ sister) made the decision early on to keep him fully informed about everything he was going through.
"Getting this diagnosis really sort of overnight ends a kid's childhood because they've all of a sudden got to grow up and deal with a lot of stuff that even us as adults would really struggle to deal with," Chris says.
Noah's humour became one of his defining qualities. After his first surgery, when a doctor jokingly asked if he'd been attacked by a shark, Noah looked at him and replied, ‘No, excuse me, you cut me open with a knife,’ Chris says.
Noah Hall finds time to enjoy the moment.
Throughout Noah's illness, the Child Cancer Foundation helped them navigate the medical system, understand what lay ahead, and provide Noah with "beads of courage," small beads awarded for every treatment and procedure he underwent, with larger beads marking surgeries.
"The people from the Child Cancer Foundation are there every step of the way, sort of helping navigate that whole journey," Chris says.
September is Child Cancer Awareness Month and Noah’s campaign had been in the works for months, with Noah himself keen to help other children facing cancer. His passing last month gave the effort a deeper significance, Chris says.
"Having lost him last month, it's kind of a perfect time to give him a bit of a positive legacy, to put our efforts as a family into something positive and try and raise some money for the Child Cancer Foundation.”
Chris Mercer, and his company MBP Advisory, have joined with More FM Taupō, Pak’nSave and Taupō News, to share Noah's story, and announce the ‘Shop Big, Give Back’ initiative happening on September 24. Pak’nSave will donate for every $100 spent on that day.
People can also donate directly to the Noah’s Legacy donations page on the Child Cancer Foundation’s WigWednesday.org.nz website.