Christchurch boy Connor Coster remembered after four‑year cancer battle

Conner Coster died last month, nearly four years after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma. Photo / Supplied

A Christchurch family is mourning the loss of their 8-year-old son after a years-long fight with cancer that began before he started school.

Connor Coster was 4 when he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic lymphoma with a Philadelphia-positive chromosome.

In the years since, he underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries and a bone marrow transplant, and, incredibly, returned to school and friends in between.

After a 2023 relapse, Connor underwent a bone marrow transplant at Auckland’s Starship Hospital.

Connor Coster, 8, has been remembered by his family as a caring and loving child until the end. Photo / Supplied

But his parents, Bobby Coster and Lisa Robertson, were told curative options had run out and that the family was “living on borrowed time”.

A rare chromosome mutation made Connor’s cancer especially aggressive and hard to treat.

He underwent CAR T-cell therapy in Melbourne, Australia, in what initially seemed a positive turn in his treatment, but not long after, doctors discovered his blood counts weren’t recovering.

Further investigation revealed he had developed therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a serious blood disorder caused by previous cancer treatment.

Despite constant pain and setbacks, Connor’s family said he remained loving, positive and full of heart.

After four years of bravely battling, Connor died on August 13.

“One thing that Connor has wanted for the last four years is just to live, and that was true right up until the end. He wanted to shed his light on the world and experience it all,” Robertson said.

Connor was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma in Christchurch at age 4. Photo / Supplied

She described him as a boy who loved people deeply.

“He loved his friends, he loved his family. He just loved being able to put a smile on anybody’s face,” she said.

“Even though he was feeling pretty rotten near the end, he got pretty sick one day and said to Bobby, ‘Are you okay, Daddy?’ and Bobby said, ‘Yeah, I’m okay babe, are you?’ Right up until the end, he was very much caring and thinking about others and other people’s feelings.”

Friends and the wider community had rallied to support the family, raising funds to help Connor tick items off his bucket list, from family trips to Rainbow’s End to adventures in Arthur’s Pass.

Connor’s younger brother, Koda, who turns 5 this week, continues to keep a close bond with his brother.

Conner died last month, nearly four years after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma. Photo / Supplied

“One day ,he said twice, ‘Connor’s up in the stars. I can see him’,” Robertson said.

“Every day he tells us Connor’s off playing somewhere... But at night, he breaks down and says, ‘I miss my brother’.”

For his birthday, Koda insists on a Beyblade that he said Connor promised him.

For his parents, the task ahead is to honour Connor’s legacy.

A rare chromosome mutation made Connor’s cancer especially aggressive and hard to treat. Photo / Supplied

“Bobby’s adamant that he wants to put the light out in the world like Connor did and just live. Live with love,” Robertson said.

The family said they have been overwhelmed by the kindness of the wider community, “and how touching it is to know how much of an impression Connor’s life made on a lot of people.”

“He taught us to feel love and show love in a way we never knew possible.”

For those wanting to support the family, donations can be made at this link.

Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.