BLACK FERN CHERYL WAAKA 'MY FIGHT FOR LIFE'

Black Ferns star Cheryl Waaka might have been known for her fearlessness on the rugby field. But as she fights for her life against stage four bowel cancer, it's her kids who are giving her the courage to go on.

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Ever since Cheryl collapsed on her kitchen floor and was rushed to hospital in June, her children, son Wakaroa, 16, and daughter Kahurangi, 12, have been by her side.

Being open with her kids about her diagnosis, Cheryl's determined not to shield them from the truth, but to keep life as steady as possible in the Northland home they share.

"There's no use hiding anything from them," the 55-year-old says. “Before chemo started, I said, 'If Mum's not well, it’s the treatment doing its job.”

Now, as she undergoes chemotherapy and uses the unfunded drug Avastin, Cheryl credits her whānau for keeping her focused on living.

“The kids are doing really well. It helps that I’m doing so well too,” she explains.

Cheryl is nearing the end of her treatment, with no side effects. The support she’s received from the community and those who raised over $80,000 through Givealittle is helping her through.

“All I must do is heal and I’m very grateful,” she confesses. “It took me a bit to get used to. I’m not the type to accept help.

'No one thinks they have bowel cancer when they're feeling tired'

But once I let people in, the floodgates opened and now I'm a reflection of that. The support's been a gamechanger for me and my kids.