Samira Basnet moved to Nelson from Kathmandu, Nepal in October 2024 to build a life in the place she now calls home.
She and her husband used every last dollar to make the journey to Nelson and have worked hard since arriving to establish themselves here.
Now, as she prepares to mark two years in the city she loves, that life has largely been put on hold.
During a medical examination for her work visa, doctors discovered a lump and referred her for further tests.
Nelson surgeon Ros Pochin investigated and diagnosed Samira, 36, with thyroid cancer that had spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Samira now requires surgery.
“The good news is that thyroid cancer is generally very treatable, and in Samira’s case, surgery offers a very good prospect of a complete cure - estimated at around 90–95 per cent,” Ros says.
Because of her residency status, Samira is not eligible for publicly funded treatment through New Zealand's health system.
Unable to return to Nepal, she must now raise $26,000 to pay for surgery. Ros says without treatment, the cancer will eventually be fatal. Additional costs are also likely for follow-up treatment, including radioactive iodine therapy in Christchurch.
Ros and her anaesthetist have offered to donate their time for the surgery, but other hospital and treatment costs cannot be avoided.
Ros says she wouldn’t be able to stomach not offering help to Samira.
“It's a 36-year-old woman sitting there with cancer, and it's curable, if she has surgery, without it, she'll die. It's just a no-brainer to me.
“I tell people they've got cancer all the time, and usually I say, ‘You've got cancer. This is bad. This is what we're going to do about it’. And I really struggle with going, ‘but I can't do anything about it. It's not that I have no options. I have options. I just can't give them to you’.
“It's just what anyone should do, really.”
Samira had been working at Ernest Rutherford Retirement Village but must now remain at home while her visa application is on hold.
Despite that, she still visits her former colleagues and the residents.
Samira has also completed a Master of Applied Management at NMIT and is looking forward to graduating in December.
“I don't have any symptoms. I don't have any pain. I don't have any problem with swallowing, any headaches, I don't have any pain anywhere, and I don't have even one of any of the symptoms. I'm physically fit, but I was diagnosed with cancer.”
Ros says without surgery the slow-growing cancer will continue to spread through Samira's neck.
“You don't die quickly, but it will continue to invade, and it's already invaded outside the muscle and come through close to the front of the neck. If it invades backwards, it invades into an airway. There's unfortunately a lot of plumbing in your neck. There's not a lot of space.
Samira has set up a Givealittle page for those willing to help her.
“This is a young couple who have worked incredibly hard to establish themselves here, who have made Nelson their home, and who are now facing a situation they could never have imagined,” Ros says.
“I urge the Nelson community to get behind Samira and her husband. Any contribution, no matter how small, could make an enormous difference in helping Samira access the treatment she urgently needs and giving this young couple the chance to continue building their life here in New Zealand.”
To make a donation visit the givealittle page here.
Samira says the kindness of Nelsonians is not something she ever expected to find in her new home.
“I'm blessed to have such generous people over here who are willing to help."
