TimeOut from cancer HOW RONDA'S GIVING BACH

KIWIS DONATING HOLIDAY STAYS WAS A BLESSING TO THIS FAMILY

- Leena Tailor

Digging pools at Hot Water Beach, playing board games and enjoying barbecues might be a typical Kiwi bach holiday, but for Ronda Amende a family escape to the Coromandel proved a powerfully pivotal point after being given one year to live following a cancer diagnosis.

While the purpose of the trip was to create special memories and tackle difficult discussions, it ultimately rejuvenated the crucial bonds which would power Ronda and her loved ones through a seven-year illness, which has tested their strength, caused upheaval in their lives, and taken a mental toll which plunged one of her children into depression.

“I don’t think people realize how many terminal illnesses affect not just the person dying, but the people left behind,” reflects the TimeOut Charity founder. “Every three months I get a scan to find out whether I’m going to die in the next three months and my family’s been going through that constantly for seven years.

“It’s extremely difficult for people around me to live with constantly knowing they might lose someone. People don’t get taught how to do that.”

Today, Ronda, 51, has defied the odds of her 2013 small intestine cancer diagnosis – having been clear of new tumors since 2015, experienced bucket list moments, and is now excitedly preparing to welcome her first grandchild.