A dash of hope helps family through tough times

Isis Teaukura, from Putāruru, is living with cancer. Photo: supplied

When Jolene Howden-Turnbull decided to enter the Rebel Sports Christmas Trolley Dash, she didn’t dream she would win.

“I never thought I would become a finalist, let alone be a winner,” Howden-Turnbull said.

Now, one of five winners narrowed from a pool of 25,000 entries will have the chance to “dash” around a Rebel Sports store and fill her trollies with $5000 worth of store goods.

Jolene Howden-Turnbull won the Rebel Sport Christmas trolley dash in Tauranga and is using the opportunity to give her son the Christmas he deserves after years of fighting cancer.
Jolene Howden-Turnbull won the Rebel Sport Christmas trolley dash in Tauranga and is using the opportunity to give her son the Christmas he deserves after years of fighting cancer.

Today, she will arrive at Rebel Sports Tauranga with a game plan and sturdy shoes. However, there is one crucial rule the contestants have to follow.

“We can’t run. We can only walk or walk briskly,” she said.

The entry into the competition came on the heels of a traumatic period where her son Isis Teaukura had battled two cancers for three years.

“He hid it from us, saying he ’didn’t want to be a burden',” Howden-Turnbull, who lives in Putāruru, said.

Howden-Turnbull initially thought her son Teaukura, then 15, was exhibiting typical teenage behaviour, refusing to go to school, moodiness, excessive sleeping, and back pain.

This would prove true a second time when he would try to downplay a suspected spider bite.

“He had sepsis and then later found out he had acute myeloid leukemia,” Howden-Turnbull said.

The diagnosis was linked to the treatment he had received from his Ewing sarcoma recovery.

Now 18 and with multiple rounds of intense and invasive chemotherapy completed, Teaukura’s cancers would go into remission, which is a relief for the family, but for his mum, an eternal vigilance remains.

“It’s scary because it can come back anytime, and it might come back more aggressively.”

At first, the family had kept Teaukura’s journey and recovery very secret, but after talking to her son, she decided to enter the competition.

“I wanted everyone to hear my son’s story. He’s been through so much at such a young age, and this Trolley Dash will allow me to give him more this Christmas,” she said.

“Despite enduring unimaginable challenges, his spirit remains unbroken. He’s determined to stay active, healthy, and focused on his future.”

She will be looking for sportswear and a few of her son’s favourite team jerseys, such as the One Warriors shirts and the State Origin Queensland Maroons.

“I also want some running shoes for myself.”

The dash will also lessen some of the Christmas burden and help her focus on what really matters: to spend the precious time she has with her son and whānau.

Putaruru teenager Isis Teaukura has been diagnosed with two types of cancers within three years.
Putaruru teenager Isis Teaukura has been diagnosed with two types of cancers within three years.

Teaukura will not be able to attend the dash as he will be at Waikato Hospital for his first biopsy since being in remission.

At first, Howden-Turnbull doubted and blamed herself for not knowing about the diagnosis, but Gabor Maté, a Canadian physician, suggests in his book The Myth of Normal that blame in this situation is unwise.

“Judgment or blaming is not the point. Understanding is.”

She now understands her son’s journey, which has improved her and the family.

“I got a phone call about a week ago, and he [Isis] was down and wanted to vent. And I just listened. I was proud of him for being able to do that.”

His recovery is a balance of staying active and not overdoing it, she said, and sometimes she needs to remind him to relax now and again.

“We try to encourage him, and he’s been going to the golf course with my brother every Sunday.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- SunLive

1 comment

Wow

Posted on 04-12-2024 07:36 | By Tonia

Good luck today for your dash can’t wait to see what you get?
Your story is very heartfelt and we hope you and your son and whanau have a wonderful Christmas ❤️


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