Help Arabella-Rose beat leukaemia

Hello, and thank you for clicking on our link. I have not shared this news widely as yet, but the time has come that we need to ask for your help.

On August 31st 2023 I took my 4yr old daughter, Arabella-Rose, to emergency due to pain and fever that barely responded to meds. It was there that we (my mother and I) received the news that made our world stop: "She likely has leukemia". From there we were transferred to Queensland Children's Hospital by ambulance and received confirmation that our precious daughter has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

Arabella-Rose is a beautiful, bright, creative 4yr old who loves Barbie, ballet, and art. She is a big sister to our 2yr old son Douglas and loves playing with her cousin and visiting her Nanny and Poppy.

Arabella-Rose spent close to 9 weeks in hospital after her cancer diagnosis (being released and readmitted twice), did not walk and barely sat up for 5 of those weeks, her bowel and bladder ceased working properly due to treatment side effects, she required a urinary catheter for 3 weeks, has required an NG feeding tube as she stopped eating, and has undergone more traumatic procedures than my mummy heart can handle. On top of the cancer and dealing with treatment complications Arabella-Rose has also dealt with recurring UTIs, which could return at any stage as her body is not well enough to clear the pseudomonas colonization in her bladder. Unfortunately she had a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotic that is standardly given for infections (resulting in the emergency team arriving to her room at 4am to assess her), and the only alternative available to us is an IV antibiotic meaning any future UTIs will automatically mean at least a week long hospital stay. She is currently responding well to treatment, but the road is long and she will have regular chemo and other treatment for the next 2.5yrs.

In that one emergency visit our family turned from a one income household, to a zero income family and I am only now in a position to return to work on a part time basis. Our expenses on the other hand have increased, including costs for medications, hospital parking, and fuel/tolls for our weekly treatment visits. When Arabella-Rose is an inpatient these travel related costs sky rocket.

We are a long way away from me being able to work fulltime again, and even when that occurs unplanned hospital admissions will impact my ability to bring in a wage and cover our expenses.

How can you help us in this overwhelming situation you may wonder? Any financial contribution you are able to make will be received with the deepest and most heartfelt gratitude. Your donations will be used to help us pay our mortgage and bills, as well hospital/treatment related expenses. I am not expecting to raise an exceptional amount of funds, but anything that we can raise will help reduce some of the stress and pressure that we as parents are currently feeling.

If you are not in a position to donate we understand, and ask that you please consider sharing our story/link so it can reach more people. Additionally, we would love for you to consider becoming a blood donor. Arabella-Rose has had several transfusions already and is likely to require more throughout her treatment.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I will endeavor to update this page regularly as we continue to move through this journey.