Update on kids orphaned after cancer claimed both parents in a week

Two girls who were orphaned are now learning to live with their “new normal” after their mum and dad heartbreakingly died just days apart.

The two girls who were orphaned after losing their mum and dad to cancer in the same week are doing “amazingly well” after being taken in by relatives.

Christchurch couple Nigel and Marjan Joyce died from brain and breast cancer respectively in June, leaving behind their two young girls, Oriana, 8, and Emily, 4.

Nigel had been battling a glioblastoma brain tumour when he passed away on May 31.

His wife Marjan died of breast cancer on June 6.

Tragically Marjan had finished radiation therapy and had been given the all clear but after suffering seizures three weeks before her death, medics discovered the disease had spread to her brain.

Five months on and the girls are now living in Auckland with Nigel’s brother John and his wife Nikki.

Two girls who orphaned after losing their mum and dad to cancer in the same week are doing ‘amazingly well’ after being taken in by relatives. Picture: Supplied

“We just never in a million years thought this would happen,” John told the New Zealand Herald.

“They did everything for their girls, they were the parents that just did it all, the girls were their life.

But he said the decision to care for his brother’s two girls after his own two boys had grown up and left the nest was a “no brainer”.

Nikki said that despite the fact the family were still grieving and settling into their “new normal”, the Oriana and Emily were coping well and were surrounded by family – including their grandparents.

“They’re doing amazingly well... But they have these moments, those key times, on their birthdays or things like that, that trigger emotions,” Nikki told the outlet.

“One of them is a very gentle soul, like her mum was a very gentle soul.”

Nigel and Marjan Joyce died from brain and breast cancer respectively in June. Picture: Supplied

John added: “We laugh all the time, when we see glimpses of Nigel, that cheekiness and a bit of stubbornness too.”

She also revealed she was the one to tell the girls that Nigel was terminally ill, stating she had to seek help from Kenzie’s Gift – a mental health support service for families dealing with illness or grief.

“They didn’t even know that their father was going to die. So I had to sit them down and tell them that both their parents would die,” she told the NZ Herald.

Nigel was diagnosed with brain cancer at the start of 2023, with Marjan receiving her triple-positive breast cancer diagnosis shortly after.

Following surgery and six months of chemotherapy, Marjan was given the all-clear and she returned to caring for the girls and Nigel.

However, by February experiencing migraines, vision loss and back aches.

“Nigel was dying at that point, we knew he wasn’t coming home so it was put down to that stress,” Nikki explained.

But further scans discovered the cause was actually a rare cancer complication called leptomeningeal cancer, where the disease spreads from its original site to the layers of tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

“It’s incredibly rare and it’s microscopic, at the time they just didn’t pick it up,” Nikki told the NZ Herald.

Marjan was given the all-clear after being treated for breast cancer but she developed a rare complication. Picture: Supplied

A fundraiser set up by family friend Angela Hawkins earned almost $NZ300,000 and described Marjan as someone with a “beautiful nature” and a “kindness that always brought out the best in everyone”.

“Marjan was a truly remarkable person who left a lasting impact on those around her,” she said.

“Her legacy will live on through her children and family and the many lives she touched with her kindness and beautiful nature.

“May Marjan and Nigel rest in peace, and may their memory continue to bring comfort and inspiration to all who knew them.”

News.com.au has contacted John for further comment.

Originally published as Update on kids orphaned after cancer claimed both parents in a week