Rotorua woman with brain tumour going to United States for $550,000 treatment

• Amelia Branson, 27, was diagnosed with a “rare” and “aggressive” Grade 3 meningioma brain tumour in September 2021.
• The Rotorua woman is going to the US this month for surgery and radiation, costing about $550,000.
• It was a “hard decision” for Branson as she says no one wants to be a financial “burden” on their family but they hope the treatment will give her more time.

When Amelia Branson woke up one day with the “worst headache I’ve ever had”, she thought it was from paint fumes after she had been painting the laundry.

The Rotorua woman decided to sleep it off – but as the days went by, she kept getting regular headaches.

Some days she was fine, others she would vomit and sleep a lot.

Branson’s GP recommended going to Rotorua Hospital.

An MRI scan revealed she had a brain tumour, believed to be Grade 1, benign and “slow-growing”.

Amelia Branson's MRI scan of her brain tumour when she was diagnosed in September 2021 – she said the white area was swelling and the ball-looking part was the tumour.

“It was pretty shocking. I’d never had anything wrong before.”

At the time, Branson had just finished her training to be a Les Mills instructor and was working at a gym.

Originally from Canada, she and her family moved to New Zealand in 1999.

She lives with her partner, McKenzie Lunt, and his family in Rotorua but is looking to spend more time in Canada where her mother now lives. Her father lives in Pāpāmoa.

Treatment options for Amelia Branson's Grade 3 meningioma brain tumour are limited in New Zealand. Photo / Megan Wilson

Branson said the tumour was “a little smaller” than the size of a golf ball.

The tumour was growing next to her sagittal sinus vein – a “delicate” area – which had made it “exponentially harder for everything”.

One week after her diagnosis, Branson had surgery at Waikato Hospital to remove as much of the tumour as possible.

Testing revealed the tumour was Grade 3 – and cancerous.

She had a second surgery to remove more, followed by six weeks of radiation.

Amelia Branson had six weeks of radiation at Waikato Hospital following two surgeries for her brain tumour.

Back to ‘normal’ life

Branson returned to “normal” life after finishing radiation by Christmas 2021. She started working at Rotorua Lakes Council, enjoyed spending time with friends and going for walks and to the gym.

But a routine scan in early 2023 found the tumour had started growing again.

“It’s obviously very unfortunate ...”

She said her “world-class” doctors told her more radiation would be too risky.

“They wanted to help but there wasn’t really anything they could confidently do.”

Her family researched other treatment options and found the Gamma Knife procedure in San Francisco.

Branson said her doctors said it was a “safer” type of radiation as it was “a lower dose coming in from a lot of angles and meeting at one point”.

Amelia Branson before she had her Gamma Knife treatment, where she had a brace screwed on to her head that was screwed on to the table so she could not move.

She had the treatment in February 2023, which cost $150,000.

“It did its job ... we were hoping to get a little bit longer out of it I think, but it’s just the nature of the tumour and how it just likes to latch on to whatever’s there and just keep growing.”

Branson’s tumour had since returned.

She is returning to San Francisco on February 21 for surgery and radiation treatment called brachytherapy.

The operation – scheduled for February 24 – involved “rice-sized seeds” of radiation, which would be implanted during surgery.

“It can be really targeted ... where they can’t safely remove it surgically, they’ll be able to put those seeds and hopefully tackle what’s left.”

The cost of the treatment is $450,000 Canadian dollars - about $550,000.

‘A hard decision’

Branson and her family set up a GoFundMe page with funds raised going towards the “critical” surgery.

At the time of writing, she had raised C$115,000.

“We’re just so blown away by everyone coming together ... ”

People had organised fundraisers for her, which had been “so humbling”.

“I just can’t even put it into words.”

Her family, partner and workplace had been great supporters, she said.

Branson said the remaining cost would be self-funded.

She applied to withdraw money from her KiwiSaver. Her mother took out a higher mortgage after she sold her house in New Zealand and moved back to Canada, she said.

“Everyone keeps saying, ‘Anyone would do it for their kids’,” Branson said.

“But obviously, and not that anyone has ever said it or thinking it, but no one wants to be that sort of burden on their family financially.

“It’s a lot of money. And I was back and forth on it for a long time about not wanting to do it or just wanting to try something else instead,” she said through tears.

“But this being the best option, it’s pretty hard to convince everyone else to back down.

“I’m glad that we’re doing it because you’d rather ... regret doing it than regret not doing it ... It’s a hard decision to have to make.”

Branson is travelling to America on February 21 for cancer treatment that is unavailable in New Zealand. Photo / Megan Wilson

After surgery, Branson would spend time with family in Canada. She planned to return to New Zealand in October or November.

Asked what her prognosis was, Branson said her oncologist asked if she wanted to know this when she was first diagnosed.

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“At the time, I said ‘I don’t think it will help the situation'.”

The treatment goal was to “push that date out, whatever that might be, if it’s five years, 10 years”.

“I think the reality of it is that it’s not great but everything that we’re doing is helping with that.”

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.