Kristen fights rare disease
It has taken doctors more than 12 months to diagnose Kristen Tucker with one of New Zealand’s rarest diseases.
The 44-year-old Red Beach resident was recently diagnosed with a multisystem disorder called POEMS syndrome.
POEMS stands for polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy and skin changes.
Kristen’s condition has affected her whole family, and changed her life completely. She can no longer walk and has had to stop work.
Kristen was a maths teacher at Orewa College for five years when she started to notice her feet feeling swollen after she and her husband Paul went for a walk to prepare for a Europe school trip.
‘‘I decided to go to the doctors, thinking it was diabetes but they came back and said it was not that.
‘‘They ran heaps of tests and could not find what was wrong until it spread up my legs and I could no longer walk or control my legs.’’
Kristen has been in and out of hospital continually to have fluid drained from her spinal cord due to the pressure building up so high that it makes her sight blurry and gives her headaches.
‘‘I have had eight lumbar punctures, two hip biopsies and two bone marrow biopsies along with months of tests and chemotherapy,’’ Kristen said.
Recently Kristen has been having some paralysing symptoms in her hands.
‘‘We have no idea what my future will be. The doctors have been in contact with the Mayo Clinic in America for guidance and they said I should undergo radiation and stop the chemotherapy.
‘‘I have all the symptoms for it to be POEMS, I just hope the doctors can get me well enough to get back to work, even if it is in a scooter or wheelchair as that is my passion.’’
The past year has been a struggle for the Tucker family as they have had to survive on one income.
‘‘I am now without an income and cannot get a sickness benefit which means we are living on my husband’s teacher’s salary.’’
A friends of the family has set up a Givealittle page to help them to pay off their mortgage.
If you would like to donate visit givealittle.co.nz/cause/ payredsmortgage