{"id":506952,"date":"2026-07-02T23:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/506952\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T23:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:08:14","slug":"brain-cancer-survivor-eleanor-houston-inspires-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/506952\/","title":{"rendered":"Brain cancer survivor Eleanor Houston inspires family"},"content":{"rendered":"

Helen Houston will never forget the moment doctors told her that her young daughter Eleanor had a brain tumour<\/a> and needed urgent surgery. Although her parents knew something was wrong when the four-year-old was vomiting and complained of a sore neck, the news came as a shock.<\/p>\n

After surgery, Eleanor received 30 days of radiation to her brain and spine, and four rounds of chemotherapy<\/a>. Ten months into her treatment, she underwent open-lung surgery after developing a life-threatening fungal infection.<\/p>\n

In total, the South Aucklander spent more than 125 days in hospital during lockdown. Some nights, she was alone, but mostly Helen, 44, was by her side. While Eleanor, 10, is now cancer-free and can\u2019t remember much of that time, she recalls her first night in the high dependency unit at Starship Hospital<\/a> was her first sleepover away from her parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the oldest one there,\u201d says Eleanor. <\/p>\n

\u201cBabies were crying everywhere and I was like, \u2018I can\u2019t sleep with this noise.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" (Credit: Carmen Bird.)<\/p>\n

Amazing support system<\/p>\n

Throughout, the Child Cancer Foundation offered incredible support, with Eleanor collecting 500 Beads of Courage \u2013 one for each treatment or procedure she endured. Rainbow beads she received during her chemo sessions are cherished, as well as a flower one, which was a special courage bead she got to choose herself for spending a night alone. But her favourite is a purple heart to symbolise the end of her treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey remind me of how I pushed through when it was hard,\u201d explains Eleanor.<\/p>\n

When she finished her treatment in 2021, the family \u201cthought we were done with cancer\u201d. Until two years later, when Helen\u2019s mum Christine Stone was diagnosed with breast canc<\/a>e<\/a>r<\/a> for a second time.<\/p>\n

As a precaution, Helen and her sister Jo also decided to get checked, with Helen shocked to discover she had breast cancer too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just too soon after Eleanor\u2019s cancer and felt really unfair,\u201d says Helen. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no genetic link. They checked all that. It was just unlucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Young Eleanor\u2019s spirits were kept up with the help her Hungry Hungry Hippos. (Credit: Carmen Bird.)<\/p>\n

Leaning on each other<\/p>\n

Despite the cancer curveballs, Helen says her own diagnosis felt easier to bear than watching her daughter\u2019s fight.<\/p>\n

Helen tells, \u201cIt was nowhere near as intense and I also couldn\u2019t feel sorry for myself because I had the amazingly brave Eleanor in the house. She would tell me, \u2018It\u2019s OK, Mum \u2013 to have surgery, you just go to sleep and then you wake up like this\u2019. She had all the advice and it was super-helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helen, Christine, 72, and Eleanor are now all clear of cancer, and doing their bit to give back.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost friends through this journey,\u201d shares Helen. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery birthday\u2019s not one that\u2019s guaranteed. It sounds cheesy, but you change your perspective and make memories. One in five don\u2019t make it and that\u2019s one of the hard parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Young Eleanor\u2019s spirits were kept up with the help of her kitty. (Credit: Carmen Bird.)<\/p>\n

Spreading awareness<\/p>\n

For the past five years, the trio has joined Jo to volunteer to shake buckets for the Child Cancer Foundation\u2019s annual street appeal. Meanwhile, plucky Eleanor continues to show her brave spirit by speaking about her experience at school assembly, wearing her courage necklace.<\/p>\n

The family wants people to know the importance of the practical and emotional support that the Child Cancer Foundation gives. Helen recalls the \u201cbackpack of goodies\u201d at the beginning of their journey that included a much-appreciated coffee voucher, a snuggly blanket that Eleanor still uses and some real cutlery, so Helen didn\u2019t have to continue eating with plastic knives and forks at the hospital.<\/p>\n

Helen recalls, \u201cLittle things like that made life a little easier. We\u2019re also grateful for the ongoing support once we\u2019d finished treatment. We want to make sure all the children and families that experience cancer in New Zealand have what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" (Credit: Carmen Bird.)<\/p>\n

Always looking on the brighter side<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s Eleanor\u2019s courage and resilience that continue to leave an impression on her mum and nan.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was super-brave the whole time with all the needles, transfusions and surgeries,\u201d says Helen. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe also got a reputation for making pictures and cards for other kids on the ward, which she\u2019d deliver to them. Her kindness towards others, even when she was really sick, is something that continues to stand out for me. \u201cWhen Eleanor was diagnosed, we had no idea what Child Cancer Foundation did for children and families. Now we have lived it and experienced it, we understand the trauma and lifelong impact of a diagnosis like that, so anything we can do to support is worth us giving up our time.\u201d<\/p>\n

To donate or learn more about the Child Cancer Foundation, see childcancer.org.nz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

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