A Motueka woman who was driving to Nelson to have scans undertaken following a cancer diagnosis is now facing a long uphill battle to recovery after a serious crash on the Coastal Highway last week.
Leanne Smits is described by family and friends as someone with a heart of gold who is always looking out for others, but she now faces a long recovery from her injuries before she can begin to fight her recently diagnosed cervical cancer.
Her son Josiah Smits, who runs Motueka’s The Smoking Barrel, says the last two weeks have been rough for the family.
“She found out a week and a half ago about the cancer, it was a bit of a shock to everyone,” Josiah says.
Leanne, 56, had her first set of scans in Nelson on Tuesday last week and was heading back to Nelson for further scans on Friday morning when she came across a car that had hit the side barrier.
A police spokesperson says that crash happened about five minutes before, and everyone was out of the vehicle.
Swerving around the car to avoid collision, Leanne crossed the centre line, forcing her into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
A St John spokesperson says six people were injured in the four-vehicle crash – Leanne was taken to Nelson Hospital, along with five others who all had injuries ranging from minor to serious.
Leanne fractured four ribs as well as her sternum, cervical spine and both ankles, which required surgical reconstruction.
She also suffered a punctured lung and severe bruising.
Josiah says the priority now is her recovery from the crash, after which they will begin to tackle the cancer diagnosis.
He says the reality is she will need some form of treatment going forward and would like to see the community come together to help support his mum.
“It’s hard to explain, she’s one of those people… she’s quite exceptional the way she loves and cares for people. She particularly goes out of her way to encourage, message and call people who might otherwise fall by the wayside,” he says.
“The best way I can explain it is she’s everybody’s number one supporter. She makes people feel like absolute gold.”
Leanne works fulltime as a dental assistant and Josiah says worst-case scenario is that she and his dad will end up losing their home.
“We would like to look at alternative cancer treatments if that’s an option, but they are often costly. They don’t own a lot… they do have their house but keeping up with mortgage repayments they may end up losing it, that’s a decision they will have to make down the line.”
Family friends have set up a givealittle page to try and assist financially which you can find here.
