A Whakatāne mother battling stage four breast cancer has made a "hard decision" and decided to save her baby after receiving a devastating diagnosis.
In September 2025, Zivana Tawhai was wrongfully treated for mastitis but, after a biopsy, doctors found she had stage three, grade three breast cancer, according to a Givealittle set up by her sister, Carolyn Withers.
On the fundraising page, Withers said Tawhai had a "hard decision" to make – terminate her pregnancy at 20 weeks, or carry her baby as long as possible, then begin chemotherapy.
Withers said without hesitation, Tawhai chose to save her baby. On January 20, 2026, her baby was born 34 weeks premature.
The baby spent her first few weeks at a special care unit in hospital, but was now home, healthy and deeply loved.
In April, Tawhai had multiple surgeries including a mastectomy, tram flap reconstruction and lymph node removal, and had 20 tumours removed.
On May 12, 2026, after further scans, Tawhai was diagnosed with stage four metastic breast cancer. Now trialling a drug named TDXD to slow the tumour growth, Withers said she continued to fight with “incredible strength for more time with her loved ones”.
According to the GivalLittle page, the family was raising funds for monthly and weekly living expenses, to help lessen Tawhai and her partner’s worries about feeding their children, paying bills, and ensuring the kids didn’t miss out on basic needs such as clothing.
“As a whanau we are humbly asking for any koha (gift) big or small to help lessen those financial burdens. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Withers said.
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