The 39-year-old said lesions were found in her brain. Fluid taken from a lumbar puncture confirmed her MS diagnosis.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a big, big shock.\u201d<\/p>\n
MS is a chronic neurological condition affecting the central nervous system. The immune system attacks the protective layer of nerve fibres, disrupting communication between the brain and body.<\/p>\n
The condition affects more than 5000 New Zealanders, according to MS New Zealand (MSNZ). There is no cure.<\/p>\n
Originally from Britain, Pass moved to New Zealand in February 2013.<\/p>\n
Her initial symptoms included being uncharacteristically \u201cincredibly tired\u201d and having \u201creally weird\u201d pins and needles in her arms and fingers. She also felt irritable.<\/p>\n
With a background in health and fitness, Pass said she thought a trapped nerve was causing the pins and needles.<\/p>\n
She said while MS was not hereditary, there were \u201cslight alarm bells\u201d when she started getting symptoms.<\/p>\n
She went to the doctor and was \u201cimmediately\u201d transferred to Tauranga Hospital, where her diagnosis was confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really didn\u2019t think it was that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all very hidden, MS … the early stages anyway, until the mobility changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
For treatment, Pass said she self-administered \u201chorrible\u201d daily injections for two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were painful, it was inconvenient, my symptoms were okay, but I guess the stress of … the medication just triggered me to just still not be very well.\u201d<\/p>\n
She came off the medication when she and her partner wanted to have a child.<\/p>\n
P\u0101p\u0101moa police officer Holly Pass singing the national anthem at her graduation.<\/p>\n
Pass gave birth to her son in 2018. When he was 9 months old, she relapsed.<\/p>\n
Her eyes would blur, she had a \u201cfoggy brain\u201d and felt nauseous. She also experienced \u201cvertigo-type feelings\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou literally can\u2019t drive, you can\u2019t walk, you\u2019re just bedbound.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was treated with intravenous steroids for three days, then \u201ctapered off\u201d with tablets.<\/p>\n
Pass said she started taking a daily capsule called Fingolimod in December 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve not come off it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pass said the capsule helped keep her brain lesions \u201cat bay\u201d.<\/p>\n
Fatigue \u2013 described as hitting a \u201cbrick wall\u201d in the afternoons \u2013 was the main impact of MS for Pass.<\/p>\n
She would nap on her days off and used \u201cadrenaline\u201d to \u201ckeep going\u201d at work.<\/p>\n
Training to become a police officer<\/p>\n
Pass said becoming a police officer had been in \u201cthe back of my mind\u201d, but she was waiting for the right moment while raising her son.<\/p>\n
She started her police training in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think it was going to be possible, but I just thought, \u2018Nah, I\u2019m going to give it a go\u2019. I thought the MS would hold me back.\u201d<\/p>\n
She passed the medical and fitness tests required to become a police officer.<\/p>\n
For one test, Pass said she did not feel ready, but she \u201csmoked the run by, like, two minutes\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was then even more of a drive to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
P\u0101p\u0101moa mother Holly Pass was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at 27 and graduated as a police officer when she was 38.<\/p>\n
She started working as a police officer in March 2025.<\/p>\n
While it was still \u201cearly days\u201d, Pass said she most enjoyed \u201cthe effort that we put into an individual, whether or not they\u2019re an offender or a victim\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do so much behind the scenes for that one person … \u201d<\/p>\n
Pass said her career change showed \u201cit\u2019s never too late to give something a go\u201d.<\/p>\n
Her mother, Janet Pye, told the Bay of Plenty Times her daughter\u2019s career change was \u201cincredible\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think of the health issues … quite extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pye, 70, said she was diagnosed with MS at age 40, and it had been 20 years since she\u2019d had an MS \u201cattack\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many ways, Holly and I are both very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n
Royal New Zealand Police College director and superintendent Sam Keats said Pass was an \u201cexceptional human being\u201d who met the college\u2019s high recruitment standards to join and graduated as a police officer this year.<\/p>\n
Keats said the college was \u201cincredibly proud\u201d of Pass for sharing her story and raising awareness for MS.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that Holly\u2019s story not only inspires those with MS but also encourages others [who] assumed that a career with police might not have been possible because of pre-existing medical conditions to take a closer look at our recruitment criteria.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keats said medical conditions were always considered on a \u201ccase-by-case basis\u201d.<\/p>\n