Imagine learning your little girl
only has an 8% chance of survival.
Help bring life-saving medical treatments to WA's sickest kids.
Luca was diagnosed with a very rare form of brain cancer after testing found she had an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour (ATRT). Luca’s Mum, Brooke was told that Luca only had a tiny chance of survival.
‘The surgeon said to me, if it’s grade four, she’s not going to survive.’ - Brooke.
Brain cancer kills more Australian children than any other disease and new therapies are desperately needed. Medical technology is evolving rapidly but with your help we’re ensuring WA’s sick children, like Luca, have access to leading-edge equipment and technology to help them get well and stay well.
Luca's Story
Luca was diganosed with a rare brain cancer at just three-years-old. A MRI discovered a two-centimetre tumour at the base of the cerebellum next to her brainstem. Her mum Brooke was told her daughter only had a tiny chance of survival.
Brooke recalls the moment she learned just how ill her little girl was:
“The surgeon said to me, if it’s grade four, she’s not going to survive. So, then a week later the testing came back and… it was grade four. There are not many people worldwide who have ever had it, let alone survived it.”
Brain cancer kills more Australian children than any other disease.
Luca endured five rounds of chemotherapy, three stem cell transplants and six weeks of daily radiation to her brain. After surgery, she was so sick and weak she lost the ability to walk for five months.
Luca spent seven months in hospital and continued chemotherapy at home.
After more than a year, her treatment was finally over. But she faces a very uncertain future and there is no way to know if she’ll make a full recovery.
With your help today, we can develop individualised, targeted treatment for children like Luca and reduce the often-toxic side-effects of treatment.
Ground-breaking Equipment and Technology
Brain cancer kills more Australian children than any other disease and new therapies are desperately needed.
Thanks to your incredible support, we’ve recently invested in cutting-edge research equipment that automates the analysis of tumour cells. A process that used to take seven weeks is now down to one and the evaluation of cancer cells is much more accurate.
This is helping doctors at PCH create personalised treatment plans and therapies tailored to individual brain cancer patients like Luca, as well as targeted treatment for those who, devastatingly, relapse.
Medical technology is evolving rapidly but with your help we’re ensuring WA’s sick children have access to leading-edge equipment and technology to help them get well and stay well.
