Lucy, an energetic, Barbie-obsessed three-year-old, was getting ready for bed when her mum, Sarah, noticed an unusual lump on her daughter’s ribcage. It was a moment that changed the course of their lives forever.
“As soon as I saw it, I had a terrible feeling that this was something very serious,” Sarah recalls.
The next morning, fearing the worst, Sarah rushed Lucy to their GP, who arranged an urgent chest x-ray. By 11am that day, Lucy had been rushed to the children’s hospital.
“The GP told me to pack a bag and go now,” Sarah recalls. “The scans showed a suspicious mass on Lucy’s ribs, as well as two lesions in her lungs. It all happened very quickly; it was so surreal.”
After multiple scans and biopsies, the family received the devastating diagnosis that Lucy had an aggressive type of childhood bone cancer known as Ewing sarcoma. Worryingly, the cancer had already spread to her lungs- dramatically reducing her chances of a cure.
“Everything changed in the blink of an eye. One minute Lucy was jumping around happily playing with her brother and sister and the next she’s fighting for her life.”
Sarah said that despite the shock of those early days, she and husband Patrick felt thankful to have a diagnosis and to know what they were dealing with.
“I knew I needed to be strong and guide little Lucy through this nightmare, so I put on my big girl pants and just got on with it – one step at a time,” mum said.
Lucy was admitted to the cancer ward and began treatment straight away.
Over the next two years, with mum by her side, Lucy endured 22 gruelling cycles of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
The side effects were relentless.
Lucy’s weakened immune system meant she caught COVID twice along with countless bacterial, fungal and blood infections. She suffered severe gastrointestinal inflammation, had seizures, pneumonia and suffered life-threatening damage to her heart.
“Lucy was so unwell and in so much pain, our family was stretched to the limit. We felt trapped in a chaotic cycle of running to the hospital, dealing with complications and living in constant fear of the unknown.”
Lucy spent much of her treatment in isolation, missing precious time at home with her big sister Grace eight and Billy, age four. “She would often stare out the hospital window and tell stories about what she planned to do when she got home.” Sarah recalls. “It was a very sad and lonely time for her.”
Amid the pain and loneliness of hospital, Starlight brought much-needed moments of joy and happiness to the family.
“The Captain Starlights were often the only visitors Lucy saw. They brought entertainment and laughter to her hospital room, making those long days just a little bit easier,” Sarah said.
When she was well enough, Lucy loved going to the Starlight Express Room to play, laugh and enjoy a break from the hospital ward. She enjoyed doing crafts, having her nails or face painted and watching movies on the big screen.
But the best thing about Starlight Express Room was seeing the Captains!
“They always made her laugh and laugh,” Sarah said. “The joy and laughter were infectious as she chased them around, dragging her IV pole along behind her – she was unstoppable.”
There was one unforgettable day in the Starlight Express Room when Lucy got to meet a very special visitor. Hollywood star Margot Robbie made a surprise visit to the Starlight Express Room.
Dressed head-to-toe in an all-pink sparkly outfit, Lucy’s face lit up as the two chatted all things Barbie.
“Margot complimented Lucy on her pink outfit and gave her a big hug,” recalls Sarah. “It was such a wonderful coincidence that Lucy happened to be in the Starlight Express Room that day. She’s obsessed with Barbies – they are all she talks about!”
In the previous months, Lucy had faced several very serious, life-threatening complications, which made her ‘Barbie experience’ even more special.
“We’ve come close to losing her many times, but she somehow keeps surviving everything that’s thrown at her,” mum Sarah said.
After overcoming countless challenges during her treatment, Lucy had the exciting news that she’d been granted her Starlight Wish.
Lucy wished for a family holiday near the beach, with a pool to splash in with her siblings Grace and Billy – and most importantly, she wanted to go on a plane!
Lucy’s Starlight Wish to Far North Queensland was a much-needed escape, helping the family create new happy memories far away from hospital. For two years during her treatment Lucy couldn’t go swimming so to have a pool and beach for endless swimming was a dream come true- her mum said Lucy ‘swam until her fingers went wrinkly!’
Lucy still talks about how much fun she had on her wish from seeing the Great Barrier Reef to croc-spotting and the water slides.
Now age six, Lucy is in remission and full of life. She still has regular checkups to monitor her health, but she’s also busy mastering handstands, roller skating, digging in the sandpit and learning to swim without floaties.
“Lucy was robbed of two years of her childhood,” Sarah reflected. “But Starlight provided many bright moments during those dark days."
"The joy and laughter that the Captain Starlights bring to children in the hospital is so important for their mental health and wellbeing — and meeting Margot Robbie “real-life Barbie” in the Starlight Express Room was definitely a highlight for us.”
