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“Your child has cancer” could possibly be the most devastating sentence in the English language.
Anyone who has a kid would understand the gravity of those words, but not all of us would comprehend what they actually mean.
The Potts family have lived with the reality of that sentence for the longest six months of their lives.
In December, parents Adam and Kathie were told their then three-year-old daughter Annabelle had a rare and aggressive brain tumour – Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
Without treatment, the young girl was given just three months to live.
But the bubbly Canberra girl with family in Harden has bravely undergone radiotherapy treatment in Sydney to try to reduce the tumour on her brain.
However, it was only to buy the family some more time.
Adam and Kathie were put into contact with renowned neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo in the hope he would perform surgery on Annabelle when others wouldn’t, but the family’s hopes were dashed when he concurred with the diagnosis that the tumor was inoperable.
They were successful in being accepted into a medical trial in England on the condition her tumour had stopped growing from her radiotherapy.
But the tumour won again – it is in a position that left Annabelle ineligible for the treatment.
The family has exhausted its options here in Australia and in the UK and now have flown across the world to Mexico to try to save Annabelle’s life.
The radical treatment involves intra-arterial chemotherapy in combination with immunotherapy.
Children with DIPG have received this treatment with positive results, which has given the Potts renewed hope that something can be done for their beautiful girl.
It’s a desperate bid from a desperate family, but they have been left with no choice.
It’s a costly move – around $24,000 per treatment. The family has been told Annabelle will need treatment every three weeks for an undefined period of time.
They have received overwhelming support from the community, but it’s still nowhere near enough for Annabelle to receive all the treatments she needs to have a fighting chance.
If you can afford even a small amount, the family would appreciate it. They have set up a GoFundMe account for anyone to help Annabelle receive her treatment.