A young Kiwi's overseas experience has turned into a nightmare and come crashing down after receiving the news she has Stage 4 cancer.
Kiwi Christie Fan, 27, who is a talented accountant, had moved to London on a secondment when she got the devastating news.
In November 2022, before her 27th birthday, Fan was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma - found in her brain, lymph nodes, lungs, liver and bones.
She now faces a two-year treatment plan that costs $80,000 per month.
Fan was scheduled to appear on AM on Thursday morning from her hospital bed but was in severe pain and is now resting.
Her sister Bessie spoke to AM on Thursday morning instead. Bessie told AM Fan loves travelling, is a people person and has a zest for life.
"She's ridiculously generous. Always has so much energy for life. She's always out with friends, helping people. She loves road trips. She's a traveller unlike myself, I love staying in New Zealand and she's just got such a zest for life," Bessie said.
She told AM her sister wanted to be based in London as she had a lot of friends there and wanted to travel and experience the "next stage of life".
But things took a devastating turn when Fan discovered a lump in her arm. Her family initially thought, without seeing photos, that it might be bruising.
But it turned out it wasn't.
"She actually started to lose a bit of mobility in her arm and in her wrist. So she went and got it checked out and with the scans, they actually found out, unfortunately, not only was it cancer, but it was Stage 4, so it was really shocking news at the end of last October," she said.
The news came as a huge shock to Fan's family who was really healthy and played a lot of sports.
"We're thankful that there was a visible sign that cued her to go get everything checked out, but no one wants that Stage 4 diagnosis and within three days or the end of the week, mum had flown over and she started treatment that following week," Bessie said.
The news uprooted the family, with Fan's parents now based in London helping their daughter, but fighting cancer doesn't come cheap.
Bessie told AM the company Fan was seconded with provided her with private health insurance, which meant the first year of treatment was covered. This included immunotherapy, radiotherapy and a really intensive brain surgery called CyberKnife, in which Fan was awake for the entire process, but couldn't move.
Fan has now moved on to her next phase of treatment and has one last hope with a drug called Opdualag, in conjunction with chemotherapy. The drug has proven successful in treating Stage 4 melanoma.
Opdualag is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Commission but it's not funded in New Zealand and the UK.
Fan needs NZD$80,000 per month to fund a two-year treatment plan for the drug and that doesn't include medical costs, scans and hospital admission.
Besie told AM the support Fan and their family have received has been "amazing" so far with a Givealittle page already raising almost $170,000 in just seven days.
"Beyond just the financial generosity, it's people's generosity with their own story. I read through over a thousand comments and there are a lot of people that would testify to holding on to hope," she said.
"They've been so encouraging and we know people have done practical things as well that know us to help our family kind of be able to do that but it's a financial mountain, quite a large one."
With Bessie being based in New Zealand, she is finding it difficult being away from her sister but did manage to visit Fan for two weeks.
Since then, Fan has lost mobility in her right leg but still has some sensation.
"You never regret getting that time and we're kind of holding the fort at home and trying to get the awareness out there," she told AM
With summer just a matter of weeks away, Bessie urges Kiwis to not take anything for granted and to make sure they use sunscreen, whatever age they are.
"Coming into a big Kiwi summer, if her story can help people to go, 'No, I am going to put on this sunblock and I'm just going to gain some knowledge and awareness about how to protect myself' because when it happens to your family or someone you know it's massive," she said.
"It's awesome in the sense that we feel like there is something to mobilise towards to help her as well, but yeah it's really tough."
For anyone who wants to support Fan, you can go to her Givealitte page here.
Watch the full interview with Bessie in the video above.
