Some of Allysa’s happiest memories are of family holidays and get-togethers. Christmases were particularly special times spent with those closest to her. And today, family still remains an important grounding force that is central to her life. She lives with her sister and her niece, and they navigate and support each other through life’s challenges. It’s a sisterly bond that has always been a source of support in Allysa’s life.

Allysa talks about having a strong sense of caring for others that developed from an early age. Along with that caring nature, she had also found herself stepping up to take on responsibilities that were beyond her years. While still at school, Allysa was supporting family members experiencing various life challenges and took on a default caretaker role whenever, or however, it was needed. For her, those experiences helped to reveal her compassionate and empathetic nature that continues to be a big part of who she is today.

I asked Allysa about some of her hopes and dreams when she was younger. And she talked about the aviation industry and wanting to become a pilot or a flight attendant. However, that dream of flying above the clouds was put on hold with a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, and so life took her in a different direction.

Allysa has since navigated significant health struggles, difficult family circumstances, major challenges with her own mental wellbeing, and survived an abusive relationship that required significant courage to leave behind. None of these experiences were easy to navigate, but they revealed something truly inspiring about her. She is someone with immense mental fortitude, resilience, and strength. Only in her early 20s, Allysa has experienced more challenges than one should have to endure in such a short time.

Today, Allysa’s daily focus is to live life one step at a time and continue to move forward. This means actively managing her health, attending appointments, and prioritising her wellbeing, while still helping her family. As we continue to chat, she talks about a particular goal that will hopefully become a reality one day. 

Allysa wants to become a paediatric nurse to give back to society and help those vulnerable young people who need it the most.  It was clear that she has spent much of her life caring for others and wants to continue doing that. Equally important is that, along the way, Allysa has been learning how to care for herself.

The conversation takes a different tone as I ask her about some hobbies and interests. With a little smile, Allysa talks about her love of drawing and painting landscapes, spending time outdoors, and listening to music. More recently, she also shares how faith has become an important part of her story, having been baptised and becoming more active in her church community.

She says one thing that often surprises people is her love of sport. Growing up, she played almost every sport that she could, from hockey and netball to basketball, cricket, volleyball, badminton, softball, and bowls. The list is long, and as I listened to Allysa, one of her coolest facts came out about her sporting abilities. There was a time when she was shooting about 500 basketball hoops a day!

Allysa’s portrait was captured at Signal Hill Lookout, overlooking Dunedin. It is a place that she was quick to choose, and it was clearly a place close to her home and heart. As we finished our conversation, I asked Allysa about one thing she has discovered about herself in recent years, and her answer was already evident throughout her story. 

"I've discovered that I'm stronger than I thought I was."