For our little brother, Thomas

On 2 January 2018, my youngest brother Thomas was diagnosed with blood cancer: T-cell ALL Leukemia. He was 3 and a half when he was first diagnosed. It was the hardest time of our lives. My other little brother Jacob was 5 at the time and I was 8 years old. This meant we had to be separated from our Mum and sick brother as they had to stay at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne for ten months.

It was the worst ten months I have ever experienced. He went through round after round of chemotherapy, lumbar punctures, blood transfusions, blood tests and dressing changes. My brother was so young.

While he was undergoing treatment, he never got the chance to ride a bike and do things kids do. He just laid in bed and was sick and tired and in pain. My mum was the full-time carer for my brother, while back at home my dad worked full time. Jacob and I went to school trying to live a normal life without our mum and brother. We had only just moved to Mildura and we had to start at a new school and make new friends, we had no family close by and we were very sad. My dad had to work while keeping up with the family's household duties. It was so hard not seeing each other for months at a time.

On 29 September 2018, AFL grand final weekend, my brother and mum were finally allowed to come home. Thomas had not finished treatment when he came home. My mum still had to give him chemo tablets and fly back to the RCH in Melbourne every month for the next 12 months. All through 2019 we were so upset every time Mum had to leave with Thomas. We didn’t want them to go.

Even when Thomas had finished treatments in Melbourne life didn't get back to normal straight away. Thomas was still very sick and had local treatments while starting preschool. When Thomas finally started school he couldn’t even walk up the school steps into the classroom. Thomas attended occupational therapy to help with his fine motor skills and speech therapy. Thomas's primary school teachers have been very supportive and caring.

It was a long two-and-a-half years of treatment, and for Thomas to build himself up physically.

In 2021 and 2022 Thomas was getting stronger and he took up swimming and he loved it. The past was behind us. Well that's what we thought!

Thomas still had to have regular blood tests to check if his blood was free of cancer. On 10 December 2022, Thomas had a routine blood test done and as always we thought it would be clear. We thought it would come back clear like last month and all the times before but we thought wrong. On that same day on 10 December 2022, my Mum got a phone call from Thomas's treating oncology haematologist at the RCH. They gave Mum the devastating news that Thomas's cancer had come back just like before, with a big tumour on his chest. Us kids were at home with Mum when she got the news. It was horrible. Mum and Thomas had to fly to Melbourne that night and had to pack their bags as quickly as possible. We were all very upset and scared.

Thomas had relapsed.

My mum, dad, brother and I were devastated that Thomas had to go back to the RCH in Melbourne for another 9 months of intensive chemotherapy. This time he also had to have a life-saving bone marrow transplant, there was no choice. We had Christmas 2022 at the RCH and for New Year. We also celebrated his 9th birthday in April at the RCH. We were very lucky though as the doctors said he could go outside to a park. He loves Harry Potter so we dressed up and had cake. He was so well this day that he could even walk around the park. This has been the only time he has been able to do this since he went into hospital in December 2022.

My brother Jacob gave a very special gift to Thomas. He was a match for the bone marrow donation and had a procedure to help save our brother's life. Due to this transplant, Thomas has been in isolation for 8 weeks and no one can visit him. He has been very sick but he is fighting. He is fighting so hard to beat this cancer and to come home. Our grandparents travel between the hospital to support my mum and Thomas then to Mildura to help my dad care for us. It is a lot of driving and they are old and I worry about them too.

Mum and Thomas have been away for 6 months already and we don’t get to see them very much. We do what we do and make the best of a devastating situation. It is a long road physically, emotionally, and financially. This is a long journey for Thomas and my family. I am hoping you can help my family through this very difficult time to allow us to visit Thomas and Mum in Melbourne. Make It easier for my dad to pay bills and to travel to the RCH Melbourne to have time with my brother and mum and not to worry about work. Just to be all together.

My name is Amy. I am hoping this is a way to help my family. Hoping that my mum and Thomas can come back home.