The summer holidays before Ollie was due to start school were filled with fun family camping adventures. The family of six love spending time together outdoors.
Tragically, that summer turned out to be the start of the darkest time imaginable.
Ollie, the youngest of four children and affectionately known as the ‘clown in the family’, loves his BMX and is always making everyone laugh. Mum Anna recalls her concern when Ollie was not his usual vibrant self during a trip to see his cousins.
He had developed a fever after getting an infected toe the week prior, and the following 10 days were met with consistent high temperatures, nose bleeds, bruising and extreme fatigue.
But back home, Ollie seemed to get a bit better, so the family headed off for a final weekend away camping off grid before school was due to start.
It was while sitting around a campfire that Ollie’s mum felt something was terribly wrong.
“I looked over at Ollie and noticed he was extremely pale, and his lips were the same colour as his face. I then noticed little red spots on his legs and face. We thought maybe he’d been bitten by something in the bush, but my gut told me otherwise,” she said.
Not taking any chances, the next morning Anna and Dad Andrew headed home and booked Ollie in for an urgent GP appointment.
As soon as the GP assessed Ollie, she referred him straight to the Children’s Hospital.
“I remember the GP telling me she was sending Ollie to ED for precautionary testing to rule out ‘one thing’.” Anna said. “I thought I was just being paranoid when I asked, ‘could it be Leukaemia’?”
At the hospital, a very frightened little Ollie had his bloods taken straight away. “Ollie was screaming and pleading for the nurses to stop. More bruises and red spots were popping up right before our eyes,” Anna said.
When doctors asked to speak to her and Andrew together, Anna’s heart sank. They were taken to a separate room where doctors broke the devastating news that they suspected Ollie had cancer.
“At that moment, our lives changed forever. It felt as though someone had just reached into our chests and ripped our hearts out. Hearing the word 'cancer' as a parent is incredibly devastating.”
Sadly, just days after his fifth birthday, bone marrow tests confirmed Ollie had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
He spent a gruelling 123 days in hospital in the first year of his treatment.
“No amount of preparation can ready you for dealing with cancer, whether it's supporting a child, sibling, nephew, or grandson enduring the gruelling treatments.,” his Dad said.
Ollie’s long hospital admissions were extremely challenging for their normally active little boy.
“Suddenly, he found himself confined to a hospital bed, undergoing constant observations every four hours, endless blood tests, chemotherapy, and anaesthesia, frightened that mummy or daddy might not be there to hold him,” Anna said.
As parents, it was heartbreaking to see Ollie lose control over every aspect of his life. He couldn’t understand why he had to be separated from his beloved siblings, why he was the ‘cancer kid’ and why he wasn’t starting big school like his friends.
It was also difficult for Ollie’s siblings Isabella, 17 Matilda, 14 and Elliott, aged 9, to be torn apart and to see their baby brother go through so much pain.
During those long months of intense treatment, Ollie seemed to lose his ‘spark’, as Anna describes it: “I no longer saw my little Ollie, just a sad little boy.”
Thankfully amid so much pain, the family discovered Captain Starlight.
“Starlight was a true bright spot during our hospital visits. Whenever Ollie felt up to it, he enjoyed visiting the Starlight Express Room, where he could play and laugh at the Captains' jokes,” Anna said.
Ollie and his dad share a passion for motorsports and Ollie spent a lot of time in the Starlight Express Room honing his ‘driving skills’ on the PlayStation.
Starlight helped break up the long days and gave them all something to look forward to – in Ollie’s case, challenging his dad in soccer and car racing in the Starlight Express Room!
Ollie had something else exciting to look forward to when he was granted his Starlight Wish.
“After experiencing numerous lows during Ollie’s treatment, learning about his Starlight Wish was a huge highlight,” Anna said.
The family have enjoyed Go Karting together over the years and with Ollie’s love of all things motorsports, Ollie asked for his very own Go Kart.
Choosing his amazing wish also restored some of the control that Ollie's treatment had taken away. “We couldn’t believe it was really happening - our boy was getting his own Go Kart. It was a very special moment for the entire family.”
The impact of Ollie’s wish is ongoing. “It’s like the wish that keeps on giving. We’ve been welcomed into a beautiful community of people on and off the track who are all so supportive and encouraging. Ollie has formed some wonderful friendships with other kids his age that will continue for years to come as they all move through the different stages of karting together.”
Anna and Andrew express their deep gratitude to everyone who supports Starlight. “Thank you so much for your generosity. Your support has had a lasting impact on Ollie and all the other children we have seen during our time in hospital. Since Ollie’s diagnosis, we view life through a different lens and cherish every moment, knowing that tomorrow is never promised”.
