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Team Alice

Big Walk for Little Kids 2025

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$6,788

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$1,500

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Day 30 - 166km completed! play therapy and hospital for bloods

Day 30 - Finishing up with a not to shabby 166km. I have been feeling a bit off the last week so I was glad to have banked the extra kms earlier one. Maintenance cycle 1 Day 29 tomorrow - this means we go in at 730am for Alice to get Poppy (the name we gave her chemo port) accessed. She will go upstairs to Theatre to have a GA and a Lumbar puncture and be given intrathecal chemotherapy. They will also take a sample of her cerebral spine fluid to check for any blast cells (cancer cells) as this is where cancer likes to hide out. Once she is through PACU we will go back downstairs to the day oncology clinic to get IV Vincristine. Then the next 5/6 hours will spent receiving prophylaxis Infusions of Pentamidine and IVIG. Alice's liver enzymes haven't recovered yet from the last phase so we are getting the once a month antibiotics through Poppy instead of taking Septrim twice a day from Friday to Sunday. The IVIG is to help her immune system recover from the 2 rounds of Immunotherapy. There was face painting in the Ronald McDonald Room today. I waited in line for 30 minutes till it was Alice's turn. She requested a Capybara of course! :) My last walk for the campaign - 4kms on the trail at the bottom of the street. Alice's counts were good to start day 29 of 84 (Round 1 of Long term maintenance). Hopefully we finish before the ward closes, otherwise, we will have to go over to the inpatient oncology ward treatment room to finish up. Fingers crossed all goes to plan!

Day 24 - we all got ice cream

Day 24 - Alice's yearly paediatrician appointment rolled around. As it was all the way in Applecross, I had to pick her up before lunchtime and ended missing the rest of the school day. The Dr was impressed with my file of medical records to show him and acknowledged I sounded like an expert! That didn't get me a discount off the fees ?. I had to drop the girls off at their dads work so I could get to an appointment for myself. You know your life is busy When you have to be strategic to get multiple appointments done in one outing.

Day 23 - highlight of the week - school assembly

Day 23 - Alice's class did a short dinosaur dance as their assembly item. Alice got a merit award to recognise her independent learning. This is a good reason to be recognised, we now have an IEP in place to help Alice catch up. Unfortunately the side effects of all the chemo medications is that it will impact her ability to focus, processing speed and retain information. These side effects should improve when she reaches end of treatment, which is just over a year away still. Alice is dressed as a Velociraptor. The teachers put on a morning tea in the classroom afterwards for the parents. Unfortunately I had to take Alice for a Play Therapy appointment across the city so she ended up missing the rest of the school day. Today's walk was done when we got home. I overestimated how hot it was going to be, I was well and truly cooked by the end of it!

Day 25 - i have reached my target distance!

Day 25 - Alice went to school all day today. I was meant to get an iron infusion but the GP couldn't get a good vein and asked I come back next week to try again with another Dr. I was relieved to skip out of there, as I am not great with needles! Came home and got stuck into some weeding while the weather wasn't too hot. Alice asked to skip dance class today as she was feeling tired. Went out for my walk when the temperature was a little cooler I am stoked I finished with 5 days spare.

Day 18 - when your learner driver daughter can chauffeur you to the start line

Day 18 - Had a break day yesterday, life just really busy and Alice was still home from school. Today I dropped her off and had Mackenzie drive us down to Woodbridge Riverside Reserve to do our walks. 7km for me and 5km for Mackenzie. Hopefully Alice had a good time at school today, it's always a bit hard to go back after having a few days off. The class is busy getting ready for their assembly next week. I am looking forward to watching their class item, it will involve singing and dancing which Alice loves to do. It's these little events that I look forward to now, getting to participate and join in with her classmates.

Day 14 - icecream and hot chocolate for breakfast

Day 14 - Took Alice to a local cafe this morning. It had been about a month since we last visited. Downside of being at school for full days at the moment means the cafe is shut when class is finished for the day. Up until a couple of months ago, Alice would be picked up at lunchtime and we would go have a hot chocolate and off menu scoop of icecream. The rains started on our way home. I ummed and ahhed when to go for my walk and took a chance when it looked like it would stay dry. At the 5km point the wind and rain got me! Definitely got a drenching.

Day 15 - halfway mark!

Day 15 - Alice's cough didn't disappear at the start of the school week like I had hoped! Fortunately I had already booked a long GP appointment for Alice so was able to get swabbed for respiratory illnesses at the same time. Care plan paperwork sorted to get Alice some assessments done. It would be wonderful if she was able to learn to take medications orally. At the moment we have to administer chemo via the NG tube. It would be amazing to remove the tube, but will be ok if Alice is one of the kids who needs one for the entire length of treatment (2.5 years).

Day 16 - when plans don't go to plan

Day 16 - Alice still has a cough and runny nose. I took her to the GP carpark yesterday to get a respiratory swab taken. To see if she has a cold virus and work out if the appointments I have lined up for Alice this week can go ahead. Unfortunately no results yet (the first test I have organised outside of the hospital, so the waiting is taking forever. I had to cancel Alice's therapy appointment today as a result. Photo is of a pretty freshia I spotted on my walk.

Day 13 - sunshine followed by the rains

Day 13 - The weather started out beautiful. Alice had a great time in her Ballet class and got to have a hot choccy and play at the park afterwards. I felt a little unwell today and took a rest before embarking on today's walk. The weather turned by 330pm, the rain wasn't letting up. I felt a bit unwell as well. I figured I just get on and get it done. All the times Alice has had to have procedures done when she's been feeling yuck. If she can do it, I can do it too. I would walk all day in the rain if that meant I could take away some of the time she has to spend at hospital.

Day 12 - lucy took a swim

Day 12 - Alice stayed home from school. She's developed a cough. No temps or other signs of illness and hopefully this virus passes. I took Lucy with me on a couple of laps of the trail near the house. she spotted some water on the track and promptly went for a "swim". I had to give her a wash when I got home as she smelt like algae.

Day 11 - alice caught up with dougie on her way home

Day 11 - Alice was very tired today, she woke up feeling bit off, probably the chemo tablets from the night before that she will have once a week. Seeing Dougie brightened her mood. We won't tell Lucy, but was a bit sniffy when we got home!

Day 10 - out of the shadows walk for lifeline

Day 10 - Alice was dropped off to school today. She was a little hesitant when I left, she asked to be picked up at lunchtime. I said I will check in with her teacher during the day and if you need to come home early you can let her know and I will be there for her. Her teacher messaged at the start of Lunch, said Alice was having a great day didn't seem to need to come home. So I will catch up on the jobs around the house and wait until I need to pick her up at the end of the school day. Her favourite subject is Science which is the last hour of school. Earlier, I went for a 9km walk with Cerys and her mum Shaughn, who are raising funds for Lifeline, today is also World Suicide Prevention Day.

Day 5 - the rains!

Day 5 - Alice went back to school today. The rains were fierce! I took my umbrella and got stuck into my daily walk. After schoo, Alice was too tired to go to Jazz dance class. I took Lucy (our Chesapeake Bay Retriever) for a quick walk around the block to check out the drains, which as I expected, were overflowing with water from the rains. Best day ever I think she was thinking! Sticks, long grass to chew, deep water to swim, she was reluctant to come home.

Day 9 - walking home with alice

Day 9 - Getting to walk Alice home from school is one of the highlights of my day. Alice only went to school for a couple of hours a couple of times from the second half of term 3 last year. This year she has made it to 50% attendance, of which much was half days, but there were multiple planned hospital admissions for high dose methotrexate chemotherapy. Halfway down the hill from school is Dougie the Golden retriever who is often sitting at the fence when school finishes. The days we don't see him, we reckon he's sitting inside in front of the heater, having a nap, living his best doggie life. we haven't seen him this week yet. I have included a picture from a few weeks ago.

Day 6 - walk around coal dam and back up towards old midland military markets

Day 6 - Did a few laps around the Midland Hospital carpark, down to Coal Dam park and and in between. Midland hospital gets a bad wrap. If the junior Dr hadn't been so thorough we wouldn't have been where we're are now yet. It felt like a chance finding. A lot of what ifs running through my head. What if we had decided her arm wasn't bad enough for a fracture and didn't go to the ED? That night, when we were sitting in the room with all the other triaged patients waiting to be seen. Alice had fallen asleep. Surely if her arm broken she would be awake in pain? I felt bad having to wake her up in the early hours before sunrise to get her to stand and have x-rays. She didn't seem to be in pain anymore. I felt almost foolish. How wrong was I! One of the first questions I asked the Oncologist, what would have happened if we didn't pursue an x-ray that night? They reassured me, the cancer would have made its presence known in another way, had we not decided to go to the ED that night.

Day 7 - walk to the swan view tunnel and back

The rain wouldnt ease up today. I put on my rain jacket and hoped it was waterproof. The trail is a little bogged in areas so my shoes didn't stay dry. When it was windy and rainy I said to myself, this is nothing compared to what Alice and the kids going through chemotherapy treatment have to endure. Picture is view from the Heritage trail overlooking Jane Brook

Day 8 - girls walk from the shops

Day 8 - Alice had her last dose of steroids this morning for Maintenance cycle 1 this morning. I was thinking she had come out of this pulse with minimal side effects. Her face is a little fuller, the rash that makes her cheek look sunburnt is back. Only a few moments of moods and didn't think she had much of an appetite. Shes had some noodles and some ice-cream for dessert. Now's she's feeling like some spaghetti and cheese.

First walk of the month!

Short 2km

Support our Big Walk for Little Kids

Every day, 2 Australian families are given the heart-breaking news that their child has cancer.

This September during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we're taking part in the Big Walk for Little Kids to bring fun, positivity and laughter back into the lives of little kids facing cancer.

Every dollar we raise will fund Camp Quaity's services and programs to help little kids who are dealing with their own diagnosis, or the diagnosis of a brother, sister, mum or dad.

Please support our BIG walk to give little kids and families the break from cancer they urgently need. As they say at Camp Quality "laughter is the best medicine", so please give generously so we can spread those smiles far and wide.

Thank you so much!

So far, we have helped provide...

174 Digital Puppet Playdates to kids going through treatment.

113 kids a chance to have a break at Family Fun Days.

56 kids to have fun at Kids’ Camp.

Our Badges

Our Team Members

Thank you to our Sponsors

$2.02k

Terry Gaitskell

Thinking about Alice all the time

$2k

Karen Gaitskell

Nan would want to do this. She loves all of her grandkids.

$555

Karen Gaitskell

$127

James Chinnery

Go Mackenzie and all of the wonderful team Alice. Such a worthy cause

$127

Paul Chinnery

We are so proud of you

$127

Tan D

$124

Nicole Kane

💜

$106

Shaughn Leach

Enjoyed our walk today 🩷

$106

Matched Donation

$106

Sue Byrne

Good luck on your walk .Youbwill be amazing

$104

Cecilia Naranjo Golborne

$100

Glen Pearson

$75

Samara Dequen

Go for it Mackenzie you are the best

$75

Matched Donation

$75

Holly Chinnery

After everything you all endured this past year, you will totally smash this 150km. Such a worthy cause.

$55

Jasmine Cunningham

$54

Alison Chinnery

Well done to my darling girl for getting through the hardest year! Such a good cause for all the children like Alice xx

$54

Anonymous

$54

Matched Donation

$54

Kylee Colombera

$54

Kellie Ketteringham

$54

Michelle Cole

Well done Katie for taking part in this worthy cause....you and little Alice are superstars fighting through this challenging time.

$54

Lindsey Byrne

$54

Anonymous

$54

Chrissi

Donation from Chrissi for the team

$42

Nicolette Punaivaha

$42

Sandra Edmonds

$41

Cerys Collins

$38

Rose Rees

Good on you Katie!! ⭐

$33

Fiona Murray

$33

Chloer

$33

Khai Xuan Eeh

$28

Sooz Clifford

$28

Darcy Kornitas

Width love from your JJ friends- Darcy, Doran, and Katte 🩷

$23

Anonymous

Go kids

$23

Tracy Park

$23

May Allison

Great achievements already!

$17

Lauren Lane

$15

Anonymous

SORRY I TOOK SO LONG AND I HAVE GIVEN ALL MY CARD HAS TO OFFER