In just five hours, four-year-old Roxy went from a routine visit to the dentist to being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). 18 months on, and with Roxy on the road to recovery, mum Bec tells their story and just how important your gifts are in helping other kids like Roxy.
It was a phone call from Rory’s preschool to Jen about a slight temperature that was the catalyst for a whirlwind for the Hillery family. Jen says nothing compares to the events that followed.
When Bobby rang the bell last year at the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick - after two years of gruelling cancer treatment - he had his four siblings, his parents and an extended family of cousins, aunties and uncles visiting from Ireland to cheer him on.
Before he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, toddler Tommy’s world was beautiful and carefree. His mum Emily McGuire recalls sunny days playing in the paddock behind their house trying to hit golf balls with his dad, exploring the excitement of their family farm and just generally being a kid… “It was everything you could hope to give your son,” she says.
In early 2015, beloved daughter and passionate Ripples Swimming Club member Brooke Fretwell sadly died of an incurable brain cancer known as DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma). Eight years later, her parents Karl and Olivia, and the swimming club that was such a big part of Brooke’s life, continue to remember her and donate funds for research in her memory − helping change the outcomes of brain cancer diagnoses for other kids.
Now 17, Molly from Dubbo, NSW, is many things: a cancer survivor, a passionate advocate and fundraiser, and a teenager with dreams of netball coaching and university.
Macy (far left) used to have to regularly travel from Melbourne to Hobart with her mum Suzannah for treatment. Having treatment in Hobart means Macy’s sister Matilda (far right) gets more time with family too.
After losing seven members of her family to various types of cancer throughout her life, 91-year-old Coral from NSW decided that it was time to do something. By including a gift in her Will to The Kids’ Cancer Project, Coral hopes to help the next generation avoid the heartbreak her family have endured.
In March 2021, when she learned her beloved daughter had a life-threatening brain tumour, a mum made it her mission to raise the profile of childhood cancer.
Bec’s daughter Roxy was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) when she was a four-year-old, and overnight, the family’s outdoorsy life quickly shifted to one of relentless appointments. But, thanks to supporters like you, Roxy got a new cuddly sidekick to help keep her smiling throughout her treatment.
After beating leukaemia as a baby, Baxter and his family are still navigating the ongoing effects of his gruelling cancer treatment as he prepares for a new challenge.
For a parent watching their brave child go through the kids’ cancer experience, the journey is almost unimaginable. Fortunately, there’s plenty that other families can do to lighten that load.
Childhood cancer research is underfunded, so to ensure a 100% survival rate for kids with cancer, it’s up to us and our communities to dig deep for the three Aussie kids diagnosed each week.
The Kids’ Cancer Project’s annual double donation day, K’day, held Saturday 15 February, was a resounding success, raising a record $502,000 for childhood cancer research, eclipsing our half-a-million-dollar goal. The total brings us to an unprecedented $1.3 million raised through K’day over its three-year history.
On International Women’s Day – and every day – The Kids’ Cancer Project is proud to celebrate the array of talented women who continue to contribute in meaningful ways to help us achieve our dream of no child dying from cancer.
This International Women's Day, a selection of our female Col Reynolds Fellows discuss the adversities of the past, and why there's optimism for the future.