Meet Houston
“I thought my child was going to die. That was the first thing that went through my mind.”
Houston was just three years old when the fevers started. His mum Olivia wasn’t too worried at first. A few bugs were going around.
Then the fevers stopped. But the bruises appeared. “They were typical toddler bruises” – Olivia said. “We didn’t think anything of it.”
But then Houston became lethargic. His legs started hurting.
The bruising got worse. In unusual places. And then Olivia noticed tiny red dots appearing around his face.
The lethargy came and went. He’d have bursts of energy, and the red dots disappeared.
The next day, Olivia took him to swimming lessons. He screamed in pain and the red dots returned.
Something was not right.
That night, she couldn’t sleep. She researched his symptoms and began to fear the worst.
The next morning, Olivia and her husband Dean took Houston straight to Starship Hospital. When the nurse asked what was wrong, she heard herself say: “I think my son has leukaemia.”
Within hours, the test results came back. Houston had a rare and aggressive form of leukaemia. It was four days before his fourth birthday.
“I looked at Dean and thought, ‘Is our child going to die?’ That was the first thing that went through my mind.” – Olivia told us.
Their world shattered in an instant.
And this is where your kindness changes everything for families like Houston’s.
Your support meant we were able to send Janine, one of our Family Support Coordinators, to meet Houston’s family.
From week one, Janine was there to be their dedicated Family Support Coordinator. A calm presence in the chaos. Someone who understood. Someone who had walked this path with other families before.
“Janine became our guiding light.” – Olivia said. “From the first moment, she helped us navigate each terrifying day.”
Janine didn’t just bring pamphlets or information. She brought genuine care. Hospital stay support. Food and fuel vouchers when the bills were piling up.
And she brought something else. Something that would change everything for little Houston: Beads of Courage™.
In New Zealand, children with cancer receive these special beads.
Each bead tells part of their story. A night in hospital. A treatment. A procedure. A brave moment when fear was overcome.
Houston started calling Janine “The Bead Lady.”
During his gruelling treatment, Houston didn’t want to talk. He hated the tubes. The needles. He was sad and withdrawn.
But when Janine walked in? Houston’s face would light up. He’d whisper in his husky little voice, “where’s my beads?”
One of Houston’s early beads is an orange one to mark a special tube that delivers chemotherapy and medicine. Janine let him choose which orange bead he wanted. Janine would help him add it to his growing collection.
Each bead gave Houston something no medicine could.
“It gave him something to connect to” – Olivia said. “And honestly, it gave me something to do, too. I couldn’t read. Music made me cry. But counting his beads? Recording what he’d been through? That gave me purpose in the darkest time of my life.”
The beads showed them how far they’d come. Each one is a visual reminder of Houston’s strength and courage.
Olivia is already thinking about how she’ll display them one day. So he can see everything he has overcome. So Houston can share his own story.
Today, Houston has nearly 800 beads. He’s in remission. He’s six years old now and loves reading, boxing and basketball.
This week, four more families will get the heartbreaking news that their child has cancer. Your gift today means they won’t face it alone. Please help if you can.