Princess warrior sparkles in her movie star moment
Dori Salanoa is battling a rare type of cancer but has realised her dream.
Seven-year-old Dori Salanoa loves Disney princesses, the colour pink and music videos. In many ways she’s like any other little girl.
But the Mangere Bridge School pupil has a rare, inoperable brain tumour.
For years she’s wanted to be a YouTube star. Yesterday she became one, when a feature-length film of music videos Dori had produced and video interviews with those close to her aired at Hoyts cinema at Sylvia Park shopping mall.
The event was organised by her family and community and the Make-A-Wish charity, which helps children battling life-threatening illnesses achieve their dreams.
Before the movie screening, Dori, her mother Grace Va’a, and one of her aunts got their hair, nails and make-up done by students.
The three arrived at Sylvia Park in a pink Nissan Qashqai at 11am and were greeted by about 200 friends and family members before walking the pink carpet to the theatre.
Dori’s mother said having her wish fulfilled meant “everything” to her daughter.
“It shows the bond that we have and the support and the love of our family around her.”
Watching the movie provided comfort for Va’a and her partner, who aren’t sure how much time they have left with Dori, the elder of their two girls.
“Whatever is going to happen this wish will always be there. We’ll always get to see it,” she said.
Dori was just 2 when she was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an aggressive form of cancer.
In June 2013, when Dori, full name is Indori Roini Va’a Salanoa, was visiting relatives in Samoa, Va’a’s mother noticed Dori was limping and her eye was drooping.
Her grandmother knew something was very wrong and booked seats for Dori and her aunt back to New Zealand.
Her parents rushed her to hospital, and two days later, doctors gave Va’a and her partner the devastating news that Dori had nine months to live.
“We were shattered,” said Va’a. But their daughter is a fighter. “Princess Warrior, we call her.”
Dori has had 30 rounds of radiotherapy, the only available treatment due to the tumour’s location.
In 2015, visiting relatives in Hawke’s Bay, Dori, then 5, developed a high fever and started vomiting.
A scan revealed a blood clot on her brain.
“We thought that would be the end of her journey,” said Va’a.
But Dori had pulled through. “She’s a very strong girl,” her proud mum said. “It breaks my heart . . . what she’s going through but the smile on her face gives me and her dad courage to keep going.”