On the 30th December 2018, Emilia (Millie) was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Millie presented to Lismore Base hospital with left sided shoulder pain and chest pain. X-rays discovered her whole left lung was whited-out, and required transfer to the Gold Coast University Hospital for insertion of a chest drain to remove the fluid in her lung. Following the removal of the fluid, subsequent chest X-rays revealed a large mass, in behind her heart. Millie was then transferred to Queensland Children’s Hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, in Brisbane, under Dr Chris Fraser and the amazing oncology team.
Millie commenced chemotherapy on the 30th December, 2018. At first her tumour didn’t respond to the chemotherapy, but changes to the chemotherapy drugs would see the tumour shrink. After developing an infected lung node during treatment, Millie relapsed and required intensive chemotherapy to try and rid her body of the tumour. The intensive chemotherapy was successful and Millie underwent a Bone Marrow Transplant on the 26th June, 2019. Millie’s donor was her sister Olivia.
Millie, now 12, has remained cancer free and is living her best life.
We are fortunate to be able to have Millie here with us today. Many children aren’t so lucky - so it is our job now to help raise much needed funds for children’s cancer research - so in the future, children will never have to experience what Millie went through.
Millie and her family have decided to raise funds for the Kids Cancer Project.
The Kids Cancer Project is an independent national charity supporting childhood cancer research. Through strong community support, the charity have been able to contribute tens of millions of dollars to scientific studies to help children with many types of cancer.
Their mission is to “support bold science that has the greatest chance of clinical success to improve childhood cancer treatments”. Their vision is to see a one hundred per cent survival rate for children with cancer while eradicating the harmful impacts treatment can bring.
Be Brave, Stay Strong, Have Hope