Vanessa Makoni: Flora Hill mum’s cancer battle inspires Bendigo

A Flora Hill family is trying to make the most of the time they have left together and some big hearts are making that happen.

Bendigo mother of two Vanessa Makoni with her daughter Haizel, 3. Picture: Zizi Averill

Vanessa Makoni has found peace with the idea of death, but thinking about her two daughters and husband left alone fills her with fear.

The Flora Hill resident said she knew something was wrong when she kept getting infections, feeling lethargic and noticed red spots on her body.

A blood test confirmed Ms Makoni had acute myeloid leukaemia in January 2018, a fatal diagnosis.

She was told the five -year survival rate was just 25 per cent.

As a young woman her chances of successful treatment were higher, so Ms Makoni began treatment while raising her young children.

“I was doing really well, I recovered completely,” she said.

“And then the cancer came back.”

The 27-year-old said she had, at most, two years left and wanted to spend every possible moment with her three and five-year-old daughters and her husband.

“I need to transplant those memories of family and love,” Ms Makoni said.

“Some parents have a lifetime to teach them, I have two years.”

Ms Makoni said her partner, Folau, had taken time off work to be with the family, but that put a strain on their budget.

For three years her neighbour Jade Heavyside has watched the highs and lows of the family’s cancer battle.

Bendigo mother of two Vanessa Makoni with her neighbour Jade Heavyside. Picture: Zizi Averill

“Her three-year-old (Haizel) said to me the other day, ‘When mummy dies do we get to visit her in heaven?’,” Ms Heavyside said.

“It just really breaks my heart.”

She said her Flora Hill neighbourhood had rallied around the Makoni family, creating posters of support, babysitting her children during hospital trips and cooking meals for the family.

“There’s been so many operations and so many times in hospital,” Ms Heavyside said.

“I wanted to show the family that we could get the Bendigo community behind them.

“I wanted to tell them that we care.”

Ms Heavyside set up a $20,000 GoFundMe page for the family, which has already reached half its goal.

Ms Makoni said the money raised would go towards creating memories with her children and partner.

“Nothing too crazy or special, just spending time together going on bike rides, runs and going out to dinner,” she said.

Ms Makoni said if she was well enough she wanted to take the family to the Gold Coast.

“As much as I want to treat it like another family holiday, it’s probably going to be our last,” she said.

Ms Makoni said she overwhelmed by the support from the Bendigo community.

“What has really scared me is the thought that my kids and husband will be alone,” she said.

“I now know when I go there will be people to support them.”

For more information or to help Ms Makoni’s family visit their Go Fund Me Page here.