32 LISTENER NOVEMBER 5 2016
I
t’s only when Moana Te Oriwa
Papa contemplates leaving her
twin sister, Charlene, that her
voice breaks and the tears start.
The warm, quietly spoken South
Auckland mother, wife, daughter,
and sister has terminal secondary
breast cancer.
She has much to live for, especially
husband Paul, 20-year-old son Devlyn and
16-year-old-daughter Rionne. After treat-
ment for cancer in 2005, she thought she
had beaten it. She went on to complete a
degree in communications and, grateful
for the reprieve, drew up a bucket list. She
also thought she’d live long enough to
tick all the boxes, but in 2014 she learnt
the disease was back – and terminal. She’s
on a regime of pain management and
chemotherapy.
Born in Rotorua (Tuhourangi, Te
Whanau-a-Apanui and Ngati Kahungunu
ki Wairarapa), Papa has lived most of her
life in Otara and Mangere.
Her precious time, when not in
chemotherapy or resting, is spent spread-
ing awareness of the disease, ticking off
her to-do list and creating memories,SHELF LIFE
‘ For now, I’m going
to bloody well live’
South Aucklander Moana Te Oriwa Papa is
embracing family, new experiences and books as
she contemplates her final days. photograph by KEN DOWNIE
CLARE
DE LORE
Glamour shots for Moana and her twin sister’s
21st birthday invitation in 1995; and Moana
(left) and Charlene as babies.including a book she’s written for her chil-
dren. Papa says her race against the clock
is nearing the end.How far ahead do you make plans?
They reckon from diagnosis that people
have about three years. There is a small
grouping of us, one out of every five
diagnosed, who will end up in my pre-
dicament. I am mindful of others who are
living with cancer. I am into that thirdyear now, so I haven’t got time to muck
around – I feel that clock. I started my
bucket list when I got my primary diagno-
sis in 2005 and while I was going through
the treatments: surgery, chemotherapy,
radiotherapy and hormone therapy. Still
the bloody thing has come back.What things are you wanting to accomplish?
It’s a big list – 101 things. When I was
writing it, I made it more about going
places and doing things. I’ve got only
half the list ticked off, because time
and money are constraints. I’ve been to
Hawaii and climbed a volcano there, I’ve
travelled to this continent and that – the
only ones left to do are Antarctica and
Africa. There were simple things, too,
such as losing weight, learning how to
swim laps properly, spending more time
with the kids, nurturing music and artistic
talents, gardening, things I never was
really into and definitely have now done.So, you’re trying to compress a lifetime into a
short time?
Even when I was writing the list, I wasn’t
able to do some of the things, such as
parachuting, parasailing and bungee
jumping, because of my heart condition.
I found I was ineligible because a dicky
ticker doesn’t work with those crazy
adrenalin activities. I’ve had a heart condi-
tion since I got rheumatic fever as a child.
Cancer and my heart are my two big
illnesses. They have impeded me, but
also been the spur to do things.Are your family ticking of the list with you?
We went hot-air ballooning recently
through a trust called Race4Life, like
a Make-A-Wish outfit. I got to do that“I am dealing with
things by creating
awesome memories and
having quality time.”