Toby Fuller

This is Toby’s story, as told in September 2023. Toby has since moved to Australia to access better treatments. You can read more about this below.

I'm Toby Fuller. I'm 25 and living with the challenge of multiple myeloma. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of available medications in New Zealand, I am not expected to live to 30.

My dedicated doctor is encouraging a potentially life-extending move to the UK a country I left when I was six, where advanced treatments like carfilzomib, pomalidomide and daratumumab are accessible.

My treatment involved 27 days of radiotherapy, three cycles of VTD-pace, and an autologous stem cell transplant. Along with these are many bone marrow biopsies, surgeries and tests.

I am currently on the last line of funded maintenance chemotherapy Revlimid. Such a move would mean leaving behind my family, friends, work, and post-graduate study. However, the opportunity to have these vital treatments funded in Aotearoa would not only prolong my life but also enable me to spend more precious moments with the people who mean the world to me.

Since telling his story, Toby has moved overseas for treatment. You can read more about Toby here:

Patients miss out on life-extending drugs in Budget

25-year-old with cancer faces move overseas in bid to extend his life