Meet our brave ambassador, Petra Hancock

Five and half year old Petra Hancock exudes personality. She's cheeky, she’s affectionate, she’s got boundless energy and she just loves to play.

But it hasn't always been this way. Early last year, Petra's life took a sudden and scary turn and she was forced to embark on a brave new journey - the journey to fighting cancer. The usually active twin from Whenuapai was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour (cancer of the kidney) and was admitted to Starship Children's Hospital where she underwent surgery to remove her right kidney.

This was in March 2007. Over the subsequent months, this brave little girl battled rigorous treatments to stop the growth of cancer cells in her body, much of this time being isolated from her friends and the outside world.

Now, less than a year down the track, Petra is recovering from treatment and has blossomed into a confident little girl with, some would say, even more charisma than before.

Her unrelenting energy and sense of humour through this ordeal has been an inspiration to everyone who knows her, and this year she has been chosen to share her courageous journey with other fellow New Zealanders.

Here is Petra’s story of courage

Petra was just four years old and attending Kindergarten with her twin sister Libby when her battle with cancer began.

Her parents, Toni and Chris Hancock, had taken her to the doctor several times for symptoms of a potential urinary tract infection and had no idea at the time that something much more serious was going on.

“For about a month we were going back and forth to doctors and they were investigating her, but she was such a bubbly, well child that they couldn’t see how it could be anything else,” said Toni.

A bout of antibiotics masked the symptoms for a period of time, but a month later they returned.

At this stage, Petra was referred to Starship again where she underwent a scan that confirmed the worst. She had cancer – a stage four wilms tumour the size of a brick growing on her right kidney.

“We had this gut feeling that things weren’t quite right, but we weren’t quite prepared for that diagnosis. It was horrendous, “said Chris, who lost his father to cancer some years ago.

But the family had little time to take it in before being thrust into response mode. Two days after the diagnosis Petra was in Starship undergoing a nephrectomy to remove the tumour, and shortly afterwards she began chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

“It was incredibly full-on. One minute Petra was well and the next instant she was in hospital in pain and covered in tubes. It all happened at such a fast pace; it was a huge shock,” he said.

During the frantic months that followed, support for the Hancocks flooded in from family, friends, the Foundation, Starship staff and the Whenuapai community. Chris’s mum and brother stopped work for a period of time to help out and look after Libby and Petra’s older brother Rory (aged six), and many friendly faces dropped in to fill in the hours of waiting in the hospital.

Others offered support in different ways, from mowing lawns and cleaning windows, to looking after the other kids and preparing meals for the family. One group of friends turned up and insulated the Hancock’s home in one weekend.

“We have an amazing network of friends and family who did so much to support us through what as an incredibly difficult time, “said Chris.

One of the hardest parts of the journey for Petra was the chemotherapy. Not only did she lose all of her hair, but with no resistance to infections she was forced to stay removed from other kids.

“It was tough for Petra because usually she likes to get out and play with friends. We really ‘shut up shop’ when she started the chemo. We wanted to make sure she was well for each of her treatments.

“That was also the most traumatic stage for her. She hated it when they had to access the port-a-cath. Two people would have to hold her down and she’d kick and scream like mad. It was terrible for us having to watch her and not being able to do anything to help,” said Toni.

Little Petra endured almost eight months of chemotherapy and a total of 10 radiotherapy sessions, each one as scary and as distressing as the first.

Finally, in October the Hancocks received the word that Petra was in remission; the first good news all year.

“It’s good getting back to normal. Being able to open doors again,” said Chris.

Petra started school with her sister Libby in November and continues to go from strength to strength. She loves being able to go to the beach again, to jump on the trampoline and hang out with her friends.

Despite the hard journey that Petra has taken during the past year, she continues to smile and to inspire her family and friends with her positive and energetic nature.

The Child Cancer Foundation Annual Appeal is from March 10 to 16. Please help brave kids like Petra.