Tauranga 14yo Tepora Kaitai battles leukaemia with family by his side

Tepora Kaitai's shocking diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia has rocked a loving family.

A Bay of Plenty mum says her world was flipped upside down when her teenage son was dealt a shock diagnosis of leukaemia.

Described by his family as “kind and sensitive”, 14-year-old Tepora Kaitai’s cancer diagnosis has rocked the close-knit Tauranga whānau.

“We’re just taking one day at a time and being grateful for everything we do have,” said his mother, Fiona Tennant.

Tepora was admitted to Tauranga Hospital on May 14 with aching pains in his legs and a severe gastro bug.

The next morning, he was helicoptered to Auckland to test for cancer. His nana, Jill Leighton – Tennant’s mum – flew with him to support him, with Tennant, Tepora’s dad, John Kaitai, and younger brother Gabrial Kaitai, 12, arriving at Starship children’s hospital the next day.

They have been there since, supporting Tepora through chemotherapy, which doctors recommended he begin immediately.

Tepora was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a cancer that begins in the bone marrow and affects blood cell production. It develops quickly, and its exact cause is unknown, according to the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation.

Tennant told the Bay of Plenty Times that when she was told how sick Tepora was, her whole world flipped over.

“It was on a Wednesday night, and we took him into Tauranga Hospital at 3pm, hoping he just needed a drip to help him with dehydration.

“They put him on antibiotics immediately and could see how sick he was.”

She said by 9pm, they knew he had to get to Starship for further testing to look for cancer.

“When that first came into our brains, we were like, ‘holy s***’.”

Tennant said hospital staff were so supportive and eased them into what was going to be a “big rollercoaster ride”.

Fiona Tennant, Tepora's mum, says the family are taking things one day at a time and are grateful for everything they have.

“You just take one day at a time, you just have to roll with it, and live with what’s happening right now.”

Three weeks into his treatment, Tepora developed a streptococcal infection, which required an urgent transfer to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for constant monitoring.

He also developed appendicitis, but could not have surgery in his frail condition.

The antibiotics used for his strep helped resolve the appendicitis, and after 11 days in the PICU, Tepora was stable enough to return to the cancer ward.

Tepora, his parents, and Gabrial are staying in Auckland with the support of Ronald McDonald House, while Tepora continues treatment.

He is now having the second of two 30-day cycles of chemotherapy.

Tennant said doctors were pleased with Tepora’s progress after the first round, but being back on chemo was ”slamming him again”.

Tepora and his family are in Auckland while he continues treatment at Starship hospital.

“He’s doing as well as we can expect, but we are very proud of Tepora coping so bravely; he is our hero.”

She said doctors had not said much about the next steps after the chemotherapy, or how long the family could be at Starship.

The family were focused on supporting Tepora day-to-day, and helping him avoid any infections – a common risk for acute myeloid leukaemia patients.

“We just find out gradually what steps to take, and the doctors make their next plan.”

Since being at Starship, Tepora had also made progress towards receiving an autism diagnosis, which his family had been working towards before he got sick.

This was a positive, because it allowed the medical team to adapt their approach to Tepora’s sensory needs, Tennant said.

“He’s kind, sensitive, intelligent, and witty, and he’s been a champion.”

Tepora’s brother, Gabrial, has autism and relies heavily on Tennant.

She said balancing caring for her two neurodiverse sons was full-on, with the cancer adding another dimension.

“I’m like a barometer to Gabrial, so if I show anything except calmness, he reacts to me.

“He’s tuned into me, so if I’m crying or anything else, he thinks the world is falling apart.”

Gabrial Kaitai, Tepora's younger brother, and John Kaitai, Tepora's dad.

She said the support they had received from everyone was “beautiful”.

Tennant’s brother Jeffrey Tennant said life had been an “absolute rollercoaster” since the diagnosis.

“We have a very large, close-knit family, and this has affected everyone.”

He said his nephew had been very brave, learning to speak up for himself and developing the courage to call in nurses when he needed help.

The teen’s uncle says he has started a Givealittle page called Rally for Tepora to ease the family’s burden, because Fiona could not work, and to show them they are not alone.

“We’re all doing everything and anything we can to support in any way we can,” Jeffrey Tennant said.

“Offering help and sending love goes a very long way.”

He said donations would help cover the family’s living and unexpected costs.

“This would give them stability to focus on Tepora’s healing.”

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.