Adulthood
Story told by her sister Shauntel Preston
After Tania finished School, and came back from Australia.
She spent a lot of time down in Takaka, Nelson. Living there with a group of friends.
She decided to move back to Petone, Wellington and to live close to family as we were missing her, so we had a bit of an influence in that decision.
Our youngest sister Monique was pregnant at the time with her first child, Ethan Funganitao (now 6)
Tania described in her autobiography that Te Omanga Hospice commissioned for her that having new children in our family, in particular the birth of Ethan, the first nephew, but then the other children born after that, Leah Funganitao, our niece and then my daughter Acaciah Tania Davis, bought her a joy to life that she had not known until being an Aunty, she truly loved them with everything she had.
Tania settled back in Petone, Wellington with news of the baby arriving and then later took a place in Lower Hutt, Me and my partner lived there with her for the last 5 years and still live there now, this is were she was to live out the rest of her time, staying in Petone at Mum’s periodically, her holiday place J
Tarn was an awesome person to live with, when she was first diagnosed with Breast Cancer, she was a real trooper with the news, was more worried about how we her family would react, she didn’t want for us to feel sorry for her or to be too sad. This was Tania’s nature.
Leah (now 5) had just been born at this time. She was also working as a gardener.
She eventually gave up work as she had to do her Chemotherapy and her radiology, she got her beautiful long hair cut by our sister Monique before starting this though, and sported a new look for a few weeks, she looked beautiful.
She donated her hair to a Wig making place for kids with cancer, they were most grateful.
She kept herself really busy during the Chemo and Radio Therapy Treatments with her Friends, Peter, Fitima and Emily and Johnathon and with being a new aunty, but also with the home.
She was our, mine, Jason’s and Monique’s Mini-mum, that was our nickname for her. She would have dinner cooked for when we got home and the house was always nice and clean, she was a neat freak, which suited me fine J
She would spend the rest of the spare time that she did have at mum’s near Monique’s kids…Ethan and Leah
She had her treatment and was in remission for a wee while.
By August of 2006, we had the bad news of having the cancer return as secondary cancers. She kept that news from me though as I was just pregnant with my first child and she didn’t want me to jeopardise that, so in true fashion was again thinking about us first.
The Cancer was agressive, but again in true Tania styles she would play it down, there were days in the week that she would be sleeping for 3 and up and about for 4, but again, would even play down how much pain she was in to us…. especially me, getting up when I would get home from work and making out that she had been up all day and when I would ask how she was, she would say that she had been good and smile.
When my daughter was born a week late, and Tania was having some treatment near when I was labouring and had fallen asleep during one of her treatments thinking that she was getting medicated, only to find that when she did wake that the medicine was not going through her drip, she was there for an extra 2 hours and when she had got home I was out somewhere, she burst into tears thinking that I had gone in already without her, even if I had to defy nature and stall having my baby I would have done it just so she could be there. It didn’t need to come to those extreme’s though, Tarn was there, nature worked its way with us.
Xmas Dinners were always sorted when Tania was alive as a huge really expensive parcel with all the trimmings would always arrive at mum’s just on xmas.
The house was always warm when we got home in Winter.
There was always someone that would stick up for and side with me when I was upset or in some strife… even if I was wrong.
She made great cup’s of tea
Would do all the chores that I hated doing around our home, namely the dishes and loved to do them.
Made the best rice bubble’s ever! And would always make sure that I was up and ready to go to work on time.
She was the best sister anyone could ask for, she was more than a sister, she was my bestfriend.
I love you Tania and miss you like crazy…..my daughter first said “aunty” because of your photo….would show it too her everyday, you know the gallery of photo’s we have, well yours takes centre stage and would always tell her who you were.
Have photo’s of you everywhere and I walked her past the fridge where another photo of yours is and she said “aunty” and pointed to you. Then for the next couple of days that was her main word!!!! It was a happy and sad time, it would freak me out when I would walk past the fridge with her not expecting to hear anything then this wee voice would say “Aunty” Your influence on our children is really becoming more noticeable now, Ethan and Leah, love school now and really love to learn new things and are doing really really well. Both are getting glowing reports from their Teachers.
There natures are kind and giving, just like yours was.
