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Diya's story

Diya was 11 years old when she was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, a rare head and neck cancer.

“I still remember the day I was diagnosed,” she says. “I was in my school uniform, I’d just had a MRI, and I got a jellybean for being good.” What followed was not what anyone expects at that age.

A large tumour was found at the base of her brain, behind her nose. She had been dealing with severe headaches and dramatic weight loss, dropping to just 27 kilograms.

“At that age, it didn’t really sink in,” she says. “I didn’t fully understand what was happening. I just knew I didn’t have to go to school.”

Diya’s treatment was intense, with five rounds of chemotherapy and 32 rounds of radiation. At such a young age, much of it happened around her before she fully understood it. “I had beautiful, thick, long hair down my back,” she says. “It got to a point where I just had to let that go, which is so hard for a young teen.”

The exhaustion was overwhelming, and daily life became focused on getting through treatment. A feeding tube was needed to help her maintain weight. What she wanted most was simple. “I just wanted life to be normal again.”

By the end of 2015, Diya was able to return to school part-time. Seeing friends again helped, but normal life didn’t fully return. Scans, blood tests, and hospital appointments became a regular part of growing up for her.

“I remember coming third in my school spelling bee finals, then going straight to a big MRI appointment - that was normal for me” she says.

Five years later, she was declared in remission. She started university, made new friendships, and felt a sense that the hardest part was behind her.

But in 2022, she noticed a lump on her neck and chose to have the tumour removed. The surgery went well, and she woke up relieved to be able to speak and swallow normally. But days later, the tumour was found to be malignant. Rare, and it couldn’t all be removed.

She underwent 30 doses of radiation over six weeks while trying to keep up with university. Alongside the physical exhaustion came the emotional toll of being pulled back into a cancer experience she believed she had left behind.

“I felt like my secondary school years were robbed,” she says. “Then again at uni, when everyone else was living their best young adult lives, I had to put everything on pause for the second time.”

Throughout it all, support mattered. Her mum attended appointments with her, and close friends showed up consistently - but no one could fully understand what she was going through.

Diya connected with Canteen where she accessed peer events, camps, survivorship groups, and one to one counselling support. From peer events to camps, they make a big difference. “I’ve never felt so seen and understood,” she says. “You don’t have to explain chemo doses - people just get it.”

That sense of belonging mattered to Diya. “As much as I love my school friends, it’s different talking to someone who really understands. Canteen provides me with the chance to feel relatable and heard, and know that I am not alone in the way I think, feel, or what I experience when it comes to cancer.”

Diya also valued having a space to talk with a Canteen clinician. “The counselling sessions have been some of the most meaningful things in my life. Being able to talk openly, feel seen, and make sense of what I’m going through has made a huge difference.”

Today, she’s part of Canteen’s Leadership Programme, building confidence, skills and connections with other rangatahi across Aotearoa. “Leadership has helped me feel connected and grow,” she says. All of Canteen’s services were there for Diya when she needed them most, only thanks to our incredible supporters.