Rylea's Story
The day before Rylea’s third birthday, she woke up with a black eye. It began to swell quickly. Her mother, Jacinta, rushed her to hospital.
Little Rylea was diagnosed with stage four high-risk neuroblastoma. She needed months of treatment, and was told she couldn’t go home.
“Our hearts sank. My husband Tim and I were in disbelief. We tried to get our heads around the bombshell that had just been dropped on our family, and I just remember thinking, “they have it wrong. It cannot be cancer,” Jacinta recalls.
Cancer doesn’t just affect one person, it stops time for a whole family. With the family located far from treatment hospitals, the news of Rylea’s condition forced the young family to separate.
“Coming to terms with the news our youngest child had cancer was hard enough, but making the decision to separate our family was also one of the hardest decisions Tim and I had to make,” said Jacinta.
It was decided. During Rylea’s treatment Tim and Rylea’s brothers, Cody and Beau, would live in their home in Gippsland and commute to Melbourne on the weekends to visit the girls. There was no other choice. Tim needed to work to support his family, and Jacinta needed to be with Rylea during her treatment.
The decision put a huge strain on emotions and on finances, and during the first seven months of Rylea’s treatment the family of five was stuck in a tiny hotel room in Melbourne.
“There was no room for any of us to move, or for Tim and I to have a private conversation. Our marriage was under great strain… and there were times when Tim and I were uncertain about our future as a couple,” shares Jacinta.
Soon after Jacinta and Tim heard about Fight Cancer Foundation and our accommodation facility BMDI Rotary House and were able to move in.
“I cried when we moved in. There were separate bedrooms, somewhere to cook and space for the kids to play. It was heaven. BMDI Rotary House allowed us to bring our family together and actually be a family. Tim and I believe the accommodation came at the right time for us as a family, and as a couple.”
“Living apart from my husband and sons, and remaining positive for them and for Rylea, was very challenging. I was leading a very isolated and lonely existence until the support of Fight Cancer Foundation came along, and I will be forever grateful.”
“Rylea continues to fight, but thanks to the support of Fight Cancer Foundation we have been able to face the greatest battle of our lives as a family,” said Jacinta.
You can support families like Rylea’s by making a donation today.