Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

'One step at a time' for Te Awamutu boy battling cancer

Bethany Rolston
By Bethany Rolston
Te Awamutu Courier·
7 Nov, 2018 07:29 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Getting through life is about taking one step at a time for Courtney Battensby and her son Toby White. Photo / Bethany Rolston

Getting through life is about taking one step at a time for Courtney Battensby and her son Toby White. Photo / Bethany Rolston

Getting through life is about taking one step at a time for Courtney Battensby and her son Toby White.

After being diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer in March, Toby has spent his year in and out of hospital.

The 7-year-old has b-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Toby's life is now poles apart to most other boys his age.

He has left St Patrick's Catholic School for the year, swapping the classroom for the hospital bed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Due to the muscle loss in his legs, Toby uses a wheelchair and is learning to walk again.

His hair is slowly beginning to grow back again after it fell out.

Toby is on a high-fat diet, meaning he can eat his favourite food — mince, mac 'n' cheese and icecream.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"He still has to eat his veges," Courtney says.

"Even though he's got cancer I still have to parent him — he can't get away with everything."

Toby also has a 1-year-old brother, Finlay, a happy baby who's been a huge blessing to Courtney.

Toby and Courtney spend their weeks at Starship Hospital and Waikato Hospital, with Finlay looked after by family.

Discover more

Gathering Waipā help agencies under one umbrella

24 Oct 10:59 PM

Te Awamutu singer wins the top country entertainer award

24 Oct 06:00 PM
New Zealand

The man putting plaques on unmarked graves at former psychiatric hospital

31 Oct 06:00 AM

Community encouraged to share festive flair in Te Awamutu Christmas Parade

07 Nov 07:19 PM

Courtney tries to make the experience as fun as possible.

"He's still just a typical 7-year-old boy."

They keep busy playing games and having visits from a physiotherapist and teacher.

"He gets a bit bored and lonely being away from his friends. There are some days where all he wants to do is lie down on the couch and rest — and that's okay, too."

For Courtney, Toby's cancer has given her a new sense of purpose.

"I could choose to be down and depressed about our situation, but I don't want that. I want to stay positive and raise my children to enjoy life.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"You've got to have a sense of humour and make it fun."

Courtney is thankful to the Te Awamutu community, St Patrick's School and her family for their support.

She also thanks Te Awamutu business Collins Flooring Xtra, which recarpeted her home for free with Turkestan — a hypoallergenic carpet that filters unwanted toxins and odours.

Courtney is proud of her son, who has remained brave, strong and positive throughout the experience.

"He sometimes asks me if this whole thing is just a dream.

"The hardest thing is knowing that you can't take their pain away, you just have to watch them go through it."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Courtney and Toby don't know how long the treatment will take — it could be up to three years.

"We just live one week at a time," Courtney says.

"It's hard to plan anything at the moment. One thing we know for sure — we want to be home for Christmas.

"We want to get a Christmas tree this year — a real one. I've told Toby we can go crazy with the decorations."

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

Police station fire no longer considered suspicious

Waikato Herald

Weekend weather: Desert Rd reopens as winter blast arrives with snow and showers

Waikato Herald

Auction shocks: Auckland buyers pay over RV for neighbouring Coromandel baches


Sponsored

Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Police station fire no longer considered suspicious
Waikato Herald

Police station fire no longer considered suspicious

The fire – which destroyed a cop car and garage – was initially treated as suspicious.

09 Aug 12:03 AM
Weekend weather: Desert Rd reopens as winter blast arrives with snow and showers
Waikato Herald

Weekend weather: Desert Rd reopens as winter blast arrives with snow and showers

08 Aug 10:21 PM
Auction shocks: Auckland buyers pay over RV for neighbouring Coromandel baches
Waikato Herald

Auction shocks: Auckland buyers pay over RV for neighbouring Coromandel baches

08 Aug 08:13 PM


Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’
Sponsored

Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’

04 Aug 11:37 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP