Connor's Story
When fifteen-year-old Connor complained of a constant headache, his mum, Virginnia, knew something was wrong.
He’s “the boy who never complains,” Virginnia says “so we took him to the local GP who said that we should get an MRI done.”
“All this time I thought that maybe he needed his eyesight tested – my motherly instinct was way off.” Looking back Virginnia says “perhaps I was just being hopeful.”
Following his constant headaches, Connor also began vomiting.
The results from the MRI ordered by his local GP confirmed that Connor had a malignant brain tumour.
He then had a biopsy, followed by immediate surgery. “This is when we got very worried,” Virginnia recalls, “Connor lost his vision and his personality changed. It was a terrible time…”
In this moment, a parent’s entire world – their reason for existing – becomes about trying to save the life of their child. There’s no time for worrying about where to set up a temporary home, or how to keep children on top of their schoolwork.
When Connor started chemotherapy, Virginnia shares that he lost his hair and was very sick. “It was five months of treatment and the constant fear that we wouldn’t get Connor completely back,” she says.
“It was heart breaking to watch him reach such lows during his treatment. There were days when he couldn’t move from his hospital bed.”
Yet Connor was missing school, missing his friends and worrying about his grades falling.
It’s important to have life go on as ‘normally’ as possible so during his medical treatment Connor continued his studies through Fight Cancer Foundation’s Back on Track education program. The program made sure Connor wouldn’t have to repeat a year of school – which was so important to him.
Connor is fighting as hard as he can to be well enough to do work experience with the Defence Forces. The Back on Track team even put him in contact with the Nowra Albatross – home of the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Air Arm! As you can imagine, Connor was very excited!
It’s given him a new lease on life. Connor’s vision has returned along with his bright personality.
“We were so surprised to find that we weren’t alone through our journey to get Connor well. There were so many strangers who cared about Connor and us…” Virginnia adds, “We were so humbled.”
If you would like to support kids like Connor, please donate today so Fight Cancer Foundation can continue to minimise the impact and disruption cancer has on a young person’s educational and social development.