WHY WE DRY JULY: Clare Tupuola on her cancer journey and support
By Tagata Pasifika - The Pacific Voice On New Zealand Television Since 1987 on
Watch Clare's story here in her own words - the toll and the quiet gifts that are Look Good Feel Better cancer support services funded by Dry Julyers.
“Look, I think it’s just getting up that I’m grateful for,” – Clare Tupuola on her cancer journey
Samoan woman battling cancer credits faith and family for helping her through the mental anguish.
Cancer patient Clare Tupuola wants to give encouragement and support to those who suffer from the “late effects” of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.
Clare speaks from experience, she is currently undergoing her second bout of chemotherapy.
In 2023 she was diagnosed with incurable cancer.
“It was pretty devastating and it was quiet, it was a bit of a process,” she says.
“So...
WHY I DRY JULY: Dr Kevin Pringle “So far, all of my family who have died have died of cancer”
By Dr Kevin Pringle on
"It’s not a pretty story – but it’s one that motivates me to make a difference."
At 78 years old, Dr Kevin Pringle knows cancer all too well. The retired paediatric surgeon and medical researcher from Whitianga has lost six family members to the disease – including both parents, three brothers, and his beloved wife Carol, who died of leukaemia in 2022 after 54 years of marriage.
This year marks Kevin’s third Dry July, and for him, it’s personal.
“So far, all of my family who have died have died of cancer,” Kevin shares.
His story spans decades of loss – from his eldest brother Peter, who died of colon cancer at just 45, to his youngest brother Allan, who passed away in 2008 from a lung carcinoma. His parents, George and Valerie, died of...
WHY WE DRY JULY: Clare - How mindfulness, makeup & family rituals gave Aucklander Clare her life back
By Dry July NZ + Look Good Feel Better on
When Aucklander Clare was diagnosed with incurable cancer, everything changed. A natural organiser who juggled work, volunteering, and family commitments, she suddenly found herself in unfamiliar territory: needing support herself.
“You lose a bit of your identity,” Clare says.
“You're going to have good and bad days, and it’s about finding tools to help you through it. Mental health is so important - you have to give yourself compassion.”
That’s where Look Good Feel Better came in. Thanks to funding from Dry July, Clare was able to access free wellbeing classes, from mindfulness and breathing sessions to makeup tutorials and hair regrowth advice — all tailored to people facing cancer.
“I may look well from the outside, but I’m still...