Vickie Hudson-Craig is heartbroken at the idea of having to leave her six-year-old daughter without a mum, and her husband with an uncertain financial future.
The Christchurch woman has cancerous tumours in her heart that will eventually take her life.
She lives in the beachside suburb of Sumner with her husband Ryan and their six-year-old daughter Ruby.
"The worst thing to ever feel, I guess, is that you won't be there when your girl grows up. That's the biggest thing that I've always struggled with, knowing that that time will be cut short eventually.
"When it first happened I didn't think I would get to see her start school, and now she's in year two and thriving."
Since January last year, Hudson-Craig's been taking two very expensive, non-funded drugs, Tafinlar and Mekinist, which are keeping the cancer at bay.
Hudson-Craig and her family are having to pay $5500 a month for the treatment because it's not currently government-funded.
National promised to fund 13 cancer treatments at the election, including the medications Hudson-Craig needs.
The family has used up their savings and is having to ask the wider community for funds because they're struggling to make ends meet, and Hudson-Craig is worried. "Ryan and Ruby need to have a future to last for a long time."
She said the cancer is robbing her of precious time with her family as she's been married for four years, and three of those have been with a positive diagnosis.
Hudson-Craig said constant fundraising is "trying to take time away from Ruby and being a family".
"I found that really hard, like robbing us of precious memories."
Her husband Ryan said they can't set the family up for any future and investments are out, so if funding were available "it'd be huge".
"Even going back to the UK to see Vickie's parents, it's impossible, we can't save for that … you're just kind of coasting," he said.
Today, nearly 50 Christchurch local surfers took to the waves, embarking on a 36-hour continuous surf relay at Sumner Beach to raise money for Hudson-Craig.
Health Minister responds
Health Minister Shane Reti said he recognises the difficulties faced by New Zealanders with cancer and their families.
"Our aim was and is to increase the number of cancer drugs and reduce the gap with Australia.
"I'm continuing to take advice and consider the wider scope of work needed in the cancer diagnosis and treatment space and just recently, Pharmac announced funding of two new cancer treatments, for advanced breast cancer and for blood cancer, which will improve health outcomes for hundreds of New Zealanders," he said.
"In the wider context of cancer management, we have already progressed an increase to the breast cancer screening age, and funded improvements to South Island PET scanning access, especially for prostate cancer."
Melanoma New Zealand chairman Johnathan Eele said the issue of melanoma patients and their families having to suffer financial hardship, stress, and potentially losing their lives because there is no other option than to self-fund treatment, has gone on way too long.
"It is time for the Government to show action now, make some real changes to improve cancer outcomes, and fulfil the prime minister's pre-election promise," he said.
"Vickie Hudson-Craig's case is a real-life example of what the prime minister said should not be happening in New Zealand.
"We look forward to the Government's urgent action and delivery of the promises made in the upcoming Budget or sooner."
Hudson-Craig has set up a Givealittle page, which can be found here.
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