Kavahn the trooper

Kavahn was disgnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in October in 2009. He is in the early stages of his treatment and is handling it like a little trooper. Find out more about Kavahn’s experience.

Luke Skywalker from Star Wars faced a series of battles throughout the fictional saga. However Kavahn Taumatauka is facing his own real-life battle of a different kind. The brave six year old has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Like Luke Sky Walker, Kavahn is a courageous fighter and his mother Jacqi describes him as being a “trooper” throughout his cancer journey so far.

It is Kavahn’s strength, determination and positive attitude that is helping his family through the cancer journey. Jacqi recalls when Kavahn’s hair first started falling out; it was Kavahn who was comforting her by telling her that everything was okay and wiping the tears away from her face.

The family’s journey has brought about changes in the Taumatauka household. Jacqi took a leave of absence from her work in order to take care of Kavahn, with her husband working full-time to provide for the family. Continuous treatment for Kavahn has meant that Jacqi has had to balance her time between looking after her daughter and taking care of Kavahn.
 

How we have helped...

The Taumatauka family recognizes the support they have received from the Child Cancer Foundation and looks forward to having visit from their Family Support Coordinator.  The Beads of Courage programme has provided encouragement for both Kavahn and his family during Kavahn’s treatment.  Kavahn has even added his own personal touch to his necklace, with a letter ‘K’ which he proudly describes as “his bling.”
 

Kavahn now

The young trooper continues to stay strong through his treatment plan. Having previously been a healthy child, Kavahn has had to learn to cope with medical procedures throughout his treatment. This included lumbar punctures, blood tests, and injections. However not all procedures have gone as smoothly as hoped. Kavahn recently had a severe reaction during a platelet infusion; within three minutes he experienced a headache, vomiting and coughing.

Kavahn means handsome in Gaelic. However it is clear that the youngster is more than just a handsome face on the Child Cancer Foundation posters. His determination and positive attitude towards his treatment resemble some of the qualities of the brave characters he likes to play in his Nintendo games. Kavahn is a true trooper.

 

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