One, marriage to the love of her life, Simon, and two, the opportunity to preserve her fertility via IVF treatment.
These are two happy events in the horror story that has been the past few months for the 33-year-old teacher from Katikati, near Tauranga.
Maia was diagnosed with a grade three astrocytoma and is starting six weeks of radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
In mid-November, Maia was mowing the lawns when she experienced a feeling of vertigo and fell backwards. There was something wrong with her left leg.
“I lost sensation and my left leg felt really hot inside. It was shaking from my thigh all the way to my toes.”
Initially thinking it was a blood clot, Maia hobbled indoors to phone Simon and an ambulance. They ended up driving to Tauranga Hospital as the sensation spread — her entire left side was now affected.
That night she had a CT brain scan, closely followed by another.
“When they wanted to do a second scan, that indicated to me that something was wrong.”
She was soon told they saw a mass and she would be kept overnight.
She received anti-seizure drugs and steroids to reduce the inflammation in her brain. An MRI followed.
In early December she underwent a biopsy of the mass where surgeons drilled a hole in the skull. The tumour was on the right side of her brain that controls the left side of the body.
Maia was led to believe the astrocytoma tumour may be lower grade. But higher-grade glioblastomas grow and spread rapidly, often creating pressure.
“It is in the area of the brain that controls movement so unless it was grade four, the neurological team do not want to operate as it could cause paralyses. It’s a last resort and I don’t want that.”
Instead, her treatment will be six weeks of radiation therapy five days a week, with an oral chemotherapy drug called temozolomide.
After a rest period, more images will be taken and the expectation is Maia will remain on temozolomide to keep the cancer at bay.
“I understand I will never be cancer free, but it should be able to be managed initially through chemo.”
“It’s been quite overwhelming considering the pace of it all.
“The medical side is one thing, but it’s also everything else — the finances, we still have a mortgage to pay and I can’t work anymore as I can’t drive (Maia works at Kiwi Kidz Waihī Beach). Not being able to drive yourself wherever you need to go is a big thing. I’m struggling with that.”
The couple were thrown another curve ball when they discovered treatment could affect future fertility.
“I didn’t want to start radiation therapy until we knew ... you have to consider what’s really important to you.”
The couple have undergone IVF in the past few weeks and they have successful, viable embryos for the future.
The couple also decided to marry and fast-tracked an intimate wedding ceremony due to the diagnosis.
Maia, Simon, their family, friends and work colleagues were shocked to hear of the diagnosis and have rallied around. Her best friend started a Givealittle page, which has reached more than $16,000. The money will go towards their living expenses while Maia is unable to work. They are overwhelmed with people’s generosity.
“I am a practical person so for me I just look at all the positive things that have come out of this. All the support — money and otherwise — from people around us, I’ve also been very lucky with my medical treatment being here in New Zealand (Maia is from the United Kingdom).
“I am very lucky to be where I am with the people I’m with. I also feel lucky I had the seizure when I did or I might not have known.”
Maia advises anyone facing a similar ordeal not to google too much when they receive a diagnosis.
“Don’t instantly look it up online because often those statistics and facts are the worst-case scenario, are not tailored to your individual situation, and it just causes instant fear and worry, which is what my husband did and it made him worry so much more. I never did that and I’m glad I didn’t.”
Maia starts treatment this week.
INFO: To donate to Maia’s Givealittle page go to https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/please-help-our-beautiful-maia-on-this-hard
