Iliana's fight against a brain tumour #keepsmiling

Natasha Anastasi is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi, we are Andy and Natasha parents to Iliana, who is seven years old and currently fighting her battle against a brain tumour. After routine eye checks raised concerns last summer, she was sent to Great Ormond Street for MRI and electrodiagnostic tests. In October 2021 our world came crashing down with the confirmation that she had an Optic Pathway Glioma. The tumour is situated within her optic nerve and has already stolen some sight from her; we pray every day that it will stabilise and she does not have her sight taken away forever.

Iliana did not start chemotherapy until February 2022 as we hoped the tumour would behave and remain stable - but sadly, it did not. Overnight we were thrust into a world of medical appointment after appointment, scans, surgery, medicines, protocols, treatment, consultants and test after test. It was and still is a club that no one wants to be part of. Our working days were gone, and we found ourselves as Parents to a sick child on an oncology ward.

The early days of treatment went by in a blur as we tried to fight our own emotions, keep anxiety at bay and to remain positive and upbeat. Iliana started off with ten weeks straight of intense chemotherapy, which resulted in many emergency admissions to hospitals, numerous blood transfusions, constant fevers, sickness and losing her hair. It was heartbreaking to watch and to know as a Parent, you cannot do anything to fix it but to take her in for treatment and pray that it would do its job.

Iliana is incredibly strong, brave, determined and sometimes utterly unphased by what has happened to her in the last six months. Other days she is emotional, unwell, lethargic, sick and frail. Above all, she inspires us every single day and has taught us about the true meaning of life. She is known as the 'smiley one' to the Doctors, Nurses and Consultants as no matter what she is in hospital for she always has a smile on her face and brightens up the room.

Iliana sadly had an anaphalyactic reaction to her chemotherapy in July 2022 and so now cannot have that chemotherapy. She has now moved onto a regime that will consist of chemotherapy every week for 52 weeks. As we write this only 50 more to go....! This photo was taken just before I could have lost my daughter forever, but the amazing nurses were there to do what they do so well. Forever thankful.

After keeping our life private for some time, we now feel ready to share our story and our remarkable daughter's journey. We are fundraising to treat Iliana and our other two children Nikolas and Gabriella, to a trip of a lifetime when chemotherapy has ended. We hope and pray that there will be positive news to share when Chemotherapy ends in August 2023 and that this chapter can be closed in our lives.

In our journey, we have come across some simply amazing individuals and wonderful charities that have kept us going through the darkest of hours. We hope in addition to raising money for a trip of a lifetime we will be in a position to donate some money back to charities that have helped us.

Whilst we are reaching such a massive audience with our fundraising campaign, we would like to publically thank the following charities and can say first hand that what these charities have done for our family has been phenomenal, and every single penny that is donated to them is very very worthwhile to families.

With huge thanks to Noahs Ark Hospice, Dragonfly Cancer Trust, Young Lives versus Cancer, Alfies Wish, Emily Ash Trust, Sebastien Action Trust, Chelsea's Angels, The Brain Tumour Charity, The Little Princess Trust and of course the Doctors, Nurses and Medical teams as Great Ormond Street and North Middlesex Hospitals who continue to care for our daughter.