Kiwi dad with rare cancer spending $165k overseas for surgery

Owen Pihema, wife Clair and their five children aged 2 to 7 have had their lives turned upside down by his cancer diagnosis.
Cancer is a devastating diagnosis received by about 1300 Northlanders each year. This series by Northern Advocate health reporter Denise Piper investigates cancer patients fundraising for better treatment, how Northland compares with the rest of the country and what is being done to improve cancer treatment here. Today, she speaks with Northlander Owen Pihema, who is travelling to Australia for treatment.
For Hokianga father-of-five and police officer Owen Pihema, there is no point taking chances in his fight against a rare cancer.
The 35-year-old will travel to Australia for expert surgery and specialist chemotherapy to remove his cancer – goblet cell adenocarcinoma of the appendix, which affects just one person in every two million.
The surgery will cost $165,000 and the community has already responded to a fundraising plea by giving the more than $40,000.
“We’ve had a lot of support from people that’s been awesome. It’s been really humbling as well, just seeing how generous people have been.”
Northland has one of the highest rates in the country of cancer diagnoses and deaths, according to the most recent data from Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora.
For rare cancers such as this – defined as other cancers or ill-defined sites – Northland had the second-highest death rate in the country from 2017 to 2021, although numbers are so low the rate is easily changed by just a few numbers.
Before his diagnosis, life was already very busy for Pihema, wife Clair and their five children aged 2 to 7.
He works as a detective constable based in Kaikohe, while they are also about to open a new preschool from their property in Waimā, the first of its kind in Hokianga.
Pihema started feeling unwell over winter, with fatigue he couldn’t shake. He put it down to a winter illness.
On July 1, during a trip to Auckland, he started getting severe stomach pain that worsened through the night, to the point where it was unbearable, he said.
He went to an emergency doctor and was admitted to North Shore Hospital in severe pain. There, blood tests showed no appendicitis and, as the pain receded, he was sent home without further tests.
A few days later he was still feeling some pain so he went to his usual GP.
Fortunately, Clair was adamant he needed follow-up, so they asked for a specialist referral to Whangārei-based Northland Health & Weight. The specialists ordered diagnostic tests, including a CT scan and endoscopy.
The CT scan showed a thickening of his appendix wall, which could either mean chronic appendicitis or a tumour, and Pihema was admitted to Whangārei Hospital the same day.
The following day, six weeks after his first episode, he had his appendix removed, with pathology showing he had goblet cell adenocarcinoma.
With the tumour through his appendix, it was not clear if the surgery caught all the cancer or if it had spread beyond his appendix.
“The issue with this type of cancer is, if it’s left too late, the appendix can perforate and it spreads into the abdominal cavity, and that’s when it gets a lot more complicated, I think.
“There’s no evidence mine has perforated but I’m mindful that I want to be sure.”
Pihema now needs a right hemicolectomy, surgery to remove part of the large intestine, to be sure all the cancer has been removed.
Because of the rarity of his cancer, the whānau decided it best to go to a surgical oncologist with the most experience in this field, and Professor David Morris, based at Sydney’s St George Peritonectomy and Liver Cancer Unit, agreed to operate.
On top of the hemicolectomy, Morris will identify and remove any other cancer spread. He will also deliver a new type of treatment, hyperthermic or heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy.
Phiema will stay in Sydney for up to a month after surgery and must pay $165,000 for the surgery alone, along with travel and ongoing living costs.
“It’s a lot of money but it’s not something we’re hesitating to pay, if you have to, by any means necessary.”
Pihema has withdrawn his superannuation and Kiwisaver funds and is hoping his health insurer will contribute, even though it has not yet agreed to pay anything.
To help cover the shortfall, a colleague set up a Givealittle page, tinyurl.com/pihema, which has already raised $43,000 of its $100,000 goal.
Pihema said, as someone who valued his privacy, the attention and publicity had been hard but the support was amazing.
“The response has blown me away.”
He and Clair will fly to Sydney on October 19, with surgery planned for October 23. Before then, they will continue to fundraise – and push ahead with their early childhood centre.
As well as wanting to thank everyone for their support so far, Pihema hoped his story encouraged people to keep fighting for a diagnosis, even if it felt awkward questioning a doctor.
“Looking back, all the warning signs were there, I just didn’t think much of them at the time. Unfortunately, it took a little while, but at least we got a diagnosis in the end,” he said.
“If someone feels something is wrong, they just have to push through the awkwardness of questioning to get a diagnosis. I’m very fortunate that Clair has pushed for me.”
* Bayleys Bay of Islands is holding a Chicks at the Flicks fundraising night for the Pihemas, including auction and movie in Kerikeri on November 7. Email [email protected] to buy tickets or donate.
Cancer in Northland series
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.