Support Briarna's 3rd Cancer Journey
Donation protected
When is enough, enough?
How much more should one child have to endure?
Briarna has fought so hard over the past 14 months and to find out she has relapsed again just 8 weeks after finishing treatment for her 1st relapse tore my heart from my chest.
We were so happy to move home, to start returning to a normal routine. We had a holiday and tried to put the stress and turmoil of the last 14 months behind us. So when the doctors told me she had again relapsed I cried.
I cried because I know the odds are against us.
I cried because once again I knew that my baby would be battling for her life.
I cried because after everything she has been through she deserves to be happy, carefree and chase her new puppy around the park.
I cried because I knew I would do anything to save her
I cried because all she wants is to be a normal child
I cried because once again I had to tell her her fight wasn't yet over
I cried because she didn't.
She actually shrugged her shoulders and said "oh well! I've done it before"
Then I wiped away my tears, I sat with her oncologist and we started working on her next fight.
Briarna said, she will not go back to Melbourne for chemotherapy.
So we are guided by what she wants, so this time we are fighting from home.
She has to return to Melbourne for radiation treatment next week and then she will start oral chemotherapy.
It's been 10 days since our lives were once again turned upside down because of this new diagnosis. The hardest 10 days of our lives.
We need to find our new normal and develop a routine. Then hopefully we can return to work and school.
That is why I have increased our fundraising goal.
I know a lot of you have already donated but the old saying sharing is caring is really true
Help us spread the word, help us fight this disease.
Please help us ease the stress and relieve the pressure.
Follow her page for the latest updates, other ways to donate and upcoming events, fundraisers and raffles
Old post
Hello everyone my name is Danielle
I am hoping to raise some money for my daughter who has just been diagnosed for the second time with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
Briarna is a beautiful bright and bubbly 10 year old girl, who has had to deal with so much already in her short life. She was first diagnosed in 2014 and then given the all clear after a gruelling 11 months of treatment. Which included us having to move from our home in Burnie Tasmania, to Melbourne in Victoria. She had been in remission for 6 months, and was having routine quarterly tests when doctors found 2 new tumours, one on her left hip where she had her first tumour and one in the middle of her pelvis. A pet-scan showed the spots to be active which isn't good news.
We are now left with only two options.
1. To fight which means us having to move back to Victoria for a period of time for her to have treatment.
2. To just let her go as long as possible (In other words let it beat us!)
This leaves us with a difficult decision and it is not one that we (or anybody) should ever have to make, unfortunately we have to make that decision and live with what happens.We have decided to fight this horrible disease with everything we can, we have talked to Briarna about it and although she is upset, understands that this is her best chance of survival.
We want to be able to spend as much time as we can with Briarna, when we return to Melbourne at the end of March for treatment. She will be having 2 rounds of high dose chemotherapy it is going to be more intensive than any round she has previously had. Her tumour is fast growing and if after 2 rounds which will take 2 months hasn't responded to chemo, most likely won't. This leaves us in a position no parent should ever be in.
The first time we were very lucky, Heath had long service leave and was able to take nearly the whole time off on paid leave, so we had a steady income. I was also able to get a transfer to a local Bunnings and worked a few days a week to help make ends meet. This time we aren't that lucky, spending 11 months here has already drained all our savings and we were only just starting to get back on top of things.
We are reaching out for help now so that if things don't work out we aren't having to spend our time worrying about money and bills, so we can focus our attention on our little girl and make the most of whatever time she has left with us.
The following is a brief description of what she has already had to endure.
Briarna's journey began back on Thursday 7th of August 2014, when we found out that she had a tumour on her left hip. The doctors at home in Burnie were unsure of what it was at first, so they started running tests. She had a MRI, ultrasound, chest X-ray and numerous blood and urine tests.
On Friday we were told that she may have a rare bone cancer called Ewings Sarcoma, and that we would need to go to Melbourne on Monday for further tests.
On Tuesday we met with a whole range of different doctors from the orthopaedic, oncology and surgical teams. Over the next week she had numerous tests including another MRI, CT scan, X-rays, nuclear bone scans, Pet scan, blood tests, lung function tests, a ecg and echo on her heart, GFR, and 3 surgeries which included 2 needle biopsys, a port for chemo, a feeding peg in her stomach and a bone marrow aspirate. We also met lots of of other nurses, a social worker and more of the teams from each department.
It was confirmed that she had Ewings Sarcoma in her hip and secondary tumours in her lungs. She then started an intensive 6 cycle course of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour on her hip. That went from August 2014 to the week before Christmas 2014. After Christmas she started Radiation treatment, she had 31 cycles on her hip. Doctors told us that surgery was to risky and would require removing 75 percent of her hip. So she would of ended up in a wheelchair permanently. Radiation and surgery have similar outcomes with her type of cancer and so we decided that radiation was our best option. After that she had another 8 cycles of chemotherapy which went from January 2015 to June 2015 and then a further 10 radiation cycles on her lungs in July 2015. After that we were able to return home and had good results from her scans in August and November.
During the 11 months of treatment she suffered numerous setbacks and so much agony. She was admitted inbetween rounds because of infections 11 times. She had so many tests done over and over, and was poked and prodded by doctors every few days. On her 9th Birthday she had to be admitted because they found a blood clot in her heart. She spent 3 months on blood thinners and had to have injections twice a day.
Through this all she kept smiling but the doctors have told us that even though she seemed to sail through 14 cycles of chemo, and 41 radiation cycles from what they have said this time will be no cakewalk. The chemo will be intensive, but it is the best chance we have so we have to hope that even though she will get sick again it will make her better in the long run.
We understand that not everyone is in a position to be able to help us out financially but if everyone can share this page on their Facebook and social media pages we would really appreciate it.
You can also follow Briarna's journey by liking her facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/supportbriarna/?fref=nf
How much more should one child have to endure?
Briarna has fought so hard over the past 14 months and to find out she has relapsed again just 8 weeks after finishing treatment for her 1st relapse tore my heart from my chest.
We were so happy to move home, to start returning to a normal routine. We had a holiday and tried to put the stress and turmoil of the last 14 months behind us. So when the doctors told me she had again relapsed I cried.
I cried because I know the odds are against us.
I cried because once again I knew that my baby would be battling for her life.
I cried because after everything she has been through she deserves to be happy, carefree and chase her new puppy around the park.
I cried because I knew I would do anything to save her
I cried because all she wants is to be a normal child
I cried because once again I had to tell her her fight wasn't yet over
I cried because she didn't.
She actually shrugged her shoulders and said "oh well! I've done it before"
Then I wiped away my tears, I sat with her oncologist and we started working on her next fight.
Briarna said, she will not go back to Melbourne for chemotherapy.
So we are guided by what she wants, so this time we are fighting from home.
She has to return to Melbourne for radiation treatment next week and then she will start oral chemotherapy.
It's been 10 days since our lives were once again turned upside down because of this new diagnosis. The hardest 10 days of our lives.
We need to find our new normal and develop a routine. Then hopefully we can return to work and school.
That is why I have increased our fundraising goal.
I know a lot of you have already donated but the old saying sharing is caring is really true
Help us spread the word, help us fight this disease.
Please help us ease the stress and relieve the pressure.
Follow her page for the latest updates, other ways to donate and upcoming events, fundraisers and raffles
Old post
Hello everyone my name is Danielle
I am hoping to raise some money for my daughter who has just been diagnosed for the second time with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
Briarna is a beautiful bright and bubbly 10 year old girl, who has had to deal with so much already in her short life. She was first diagnosed in 2014 and then given the all clear after a gruelling 11 months of treatment. Which included us having to move from our home in Burnie Tasmania, to Melbourne in Victoria. She had been in remission for 6 months, and was having routine quarterly tests when doctors found 2 new tumours, one on her left hip where she had her first tumour and one in the middle of her pelvis. A pet-scan showed the spots to be active which isn't good news.
We are now left with only two options.
1. To fight which means us having to move back to Victoria for a period of time for her to have treatment.
2. To just let her go as long as possible (In other words let it beat us!)
This leaves us with a difficult decision and it is not one that we (or anybody) should ever have to make, unfortunately we have to make that decision and live with what happens.We have decided to fight this horrible disease with everything we can, we have talked to Briarna about it and although she is upset, understands that this is her best chance of survival.
We want to be able to spend as much time as we can with Briarna, when we return to Melbourne at the end of March for treatment. She will be having 2 rounds of high dose chemotherapy it is going to be more intensive than any round she has previously had. Her tumour is fast growing and if after 2 rounds which will take 2 months hasn't responded to chemo, most likely won't. This leaves us in a position no parent should ever be in.
The first time we were very lucky, Heath had long service leave and was able to take nearly the whole time off on paid leave, so we had a steady income. I was also able to get a transfer to a local Bunnings and worked a few days a week to help make ends meet. This time we aren't that lucky, spending 11 months here has already drained all our savings and we were only just starting to get back on top of things.
We are reaching out for help now so that if things don't work out we aren't having to spend our time worrying about money and bills, so we can focus our attention on our little girl and make the most of whatever time she has left with us.
The following is a brief description of what she has already had to endure.
Briarna's journey began back on Thursday 7th of August 2014, when we found out that she had a tumour on her left hip. The doctors at home in Burnie were unsure of what it was at first, so they started running tests. She had a MRI, ultrasound, chest X-ray and numerous blood and urine tests.
On Friday we were told that she may have a rare bone cancer called Ewings Sarcoma, and that we would need to go to Melbourne on Monday for further tests.
On Tuesday we met with a whole range of different doctors from the orthopaedic, oncology and surgical teams. Over the next week she had numerous tests including another MRI, CT scan, X-rays, nuclear bone scans, Pet scan, blood tests, lung function tests, a ecg and echo on her heart, GFR, and 3 surgeries which included 2 needle biopsys, a port for chemo, a feeding peg in her stomach and a bone marrow aspirate. We also met lots of of other nurses, a social worker and more of the teams from each department.
It was confirmed that she had Ewings Sarcoma in her hip and secondary tumours in her lungs. She then started an intensive 6 cycle course of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour on her hip. That went from August 2014 to the week before Christmas 2014. After Christmas she started Radiation treatment, she had 31 cycles on her hip. Doctors told us that surgery was to risky and would require removing 75 percent of her hip. So she would of ended up in a wheelchair permanently. Radiation and surgery have similar outcomes with her type of cancer and so we decided that radiation was our best option. After that she had another 8 cycles of chemotherapy which went from January 2015 to June 2015 and then a further 10 radiation cycles on her lungs in July 2015. After that we were able to return home and had good results from her scans in August and November.
During the 11 months of treatment she suffered numerous setbacks and so much agony. She was admitted inbetween rounds because of infections 11 times. She had so many tests done over and over, and was poked and prodded by doctors every few days. On her 9th Birthday she had to be admitted because they found a blood clot in her heart. She spent 3 months on blood thinners and had to have injections twice a day.
Through this all she kept smiling but the doctors have told us that even though she seemed to sail through 14 cycles of chemo, and 41 radiation cycles from what they have said this time will be no cakewalk. The chemo will be intensive, but it is the best chance we have so we have to hope that even though she will get sick again it will make her better in the long run.
We understand that not everyone is in a position to be able to help us out financially but if everyone can share this page on their Facebook and social media pages we would really appreciate it.
You can also follow Briarna's journey by liking her facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/supportbriarna/?fref=nf
Organizer
Danielle Peters
Organizer
Wivenhoe TAS
