Tammy and Michael had just welcomed baby Eloise, born prematurely. They were still adjusting after her first week in intensive care when Tilly became so unwell their GP took one look at her and the next morning, Tilly and Michael flew to Brisbane. Tammy threw washing baskets, a bassinet and whatever else she could think of in the car. Then she drove to Brisbane with Skyler and the baby. When Tammy reached Queensland Children’s Hospital, Michael was lying on a bed with Tilly. The doctors sat them down and confirmed that she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Tilly couldn’t explain much about how she felt. She could only tell her parents her legs were sore and ask for cuddles. Steroids made her desperately hungry. But before lumbar punctures she had to fast, leaving her parents waiting with a hungry, distressed two-year-old they couldn’t feed. Tilly's big sister, Skyler, saw it all. At night, Tammy breastfed Eloise while Michael got up to give Tilly bowls of spaghetti. Someone was almost always holding a child, feeding a child or trying to comfort one.
Then Tilly’s lines failed. There was a badly infected port, blood clots and yet another reason they couldn’t go home. Four months in Brisbane became ten. While Tammy watched her friends’ children reach milestones and start new activities, her own family’s life seemed to be standing still. In the place where the family was staying, the older sister of one of Skyler’s close friends died. The possibility she feared for Tilly had happened to someone she knew. How do you reassure your child that everything will be all right when you are frightened too? Tammy and Michael kept going, caring for three children whose needs could not wait.
For Tilly, Camp Quality brought laughter to her life, first in the hospital room. Our puppets visited when she was stuck inside. Later, the family went to a Camp Quality Family Camp at Treasure Island on the Gold Coast. Tammy and Michael could tend to the younger children knowing their eldest was having fun, too. After months of missing out, Skyler could swim, ride bikes, play games and make crafts. “For a little while, I wasn’t just the big sister of a child with cancer. I could just be a kid again,” she recalls.
Cancer stole Tilly’s childhood, but at a Camp Quality Family Camp, their little girl was busy getting it back. Family Camp was a turning point for everyone. Tammy and Michael had spent so long helping their children get through each day. Now they were watching them enjoy one. Camp couldn’t give back the many months they had lost. But it gave both sisters experiences they deserved, and their parents the support to relax and just enjoy those moments with them.
Cancer leaves things behind that other people cannot always see. Families need our support as they find their way forward. Thank you for your support.
