16 month old Aniah to get Cancer Treatment in USA

Hi, my name is Breanna I'm a mum of 2 children and myself and Aniahs dad are raising funds for our daughter who has been diagnosed with Ependymoma which is a form of Brain Cancer.

Aniah has undergone brain surgery to remove most of the tumor but she is needing specific radiation therapy that unfortunately Australia doesn't have just yet and the technology to keep the tumor from growing/reaccuring. We are needing to fly to Florida USA for 6-8 weeks to get the treatment she needs to hopefully help her have a chance of a long and healthy life. If we do not get this treatment there is a chance the tumor will grow throughout other parts of her brain and potentionally lead to a very short life span.

I would like to share our journey over the last 2 weeks with you and I'd appreciate if you could have a little read and help to raise funds in anyway possible

On the 22nd of August i took my daughter Aniah into the Women's and Childrens Hospital ED after she had been vomiting consistently in the mornings and only the mornings. At first i wasnt too worried as she would have a little vomit which appeared to me as a bit of stomach acid in the mornings but come mid day she was back to her usual self. Playing, running, smiling, eating etc. But after it happening a little more times i thought we'd go to the GP and get checked out as it was seeming a little weird how it was only in the morning. Doctor looked over her and everything seemed pretty normal to him also, so off we went. A week and half later it kept happening but persistently throughout the day. This is when i started to realise maybe this could be a little more serious then i initially thought. This is when we decided to head in to the ED. Never in a million years did i expect to get the news that i did and quite honestly a parents worst nightmare. After giving the doctors the information they were easily able to determine that she wasnt vomiting because of her belly but she was vomiting because of suspected pressure in her head (intracranial pressure). The doctors issued a MRI and they indeed were right. She did have ICP but along with finding that she had a build up of fluid in the brain they were quickly able to determine the causing for this build up of fluid creating pressure in her head.

On the 23rd of August, my daughter Aniah was diagnosed with a brain tumor said to be the size of a peach. This tumor was sitting in a place where it was blocking the tube where the fluids flow to and from the brain. The doctors told us they had no option but to operate to try and remove the tumor as soon as possible. After what felt like the longest wait just watching my baby girl deteriorate very quickly in the span of a week. (It was very clear at this point that i acted on this just in time.) We finally were booked in to have it removed on the 30th of August estimated to be roughly a 4-6hr surgery. They took her in at 8am and I didn't get to see her until 9:30pm that night. Her surgery ended up being almost 11hrs long. This was not only the longest and hardest day of my life but it was for our families as well. We had little to no understanding how the surgery was going the whole time she was in there. As the time kept ticking we were all starting to get very anxious as my baby who is only 16 months old is undergoing one of the most serious surgeries a human being could ever go through. The relief that I felt when I finally got the call that the surgery went well and she was okay is indescribable. The sight of the state she was in post surgery was very confronting but I couldn't help but feel joy of just how proud I am of my girl for getting through this. The doctors advised us they were able to get majority of the tumor but unfortunately had to leave some behind as part of the tumor was connected to the stem of her brain and trying to remove this could present several risks. Unfortunately she wasn't out of the woods yet.

Over the next few days she was in a lot of pain as expected when you undergo any surgery but even more so brain surgery. We've had to start learning everything that we have learnt over this past year all over again. On the 4th of september we had a meeting with the Oncologist and this is when they informed us that Chemo will not be an option as it has proven to not be effective to this type of Cancer. So the only option we have is to take the Radiation route. The Radiation therapy that is accessible in Australia is not suitable for a 16 month old baby. This has left us with no choice but to fly overseas to Florida where they have Proton Radiation Therapy which is said to have the best chance at helping my baby girl fight this nasty disease.

Due to leaving the country we will not have any source of financial income. With the money raised it will not only help us with passports, flight's and supporting our daughter and ourselves overseas but it will also help me provide for my son who will be staying back in Adelaide with family. As well as help me to be able to afford household bills for us to still have a home once we return after treatment.

I'd like to say thank you for reading this and I hope by me telling you our story you can understand how hard these 2 weeks have been for us all. If you could make a donation, big or small it would mean the world to myself and my beautiful baby girl.

Thank you