Meet our Wonder Warriors

During a scan at just 21 weeks pregnant, Tamara and Simon Jackson received the devastating news that their unborn baby had Hypoplastic left heart complex, a condition which causes the left side of the heart to hardly function.

Lilly has spent much of her six years at the Children’s Hospital. She has a rare auto-immune disease, epilepsy, severe anxiety, bronchiectasis and parechovirus and has already had more medical procedures than most adults ever have.

Since she was only four years old, Maddison has been battling a rhabdomyoscaroma – a cancer made up of cells that normally develop into skeletal muscles.

It wasn’t until aged four that Jaimee was diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy and the family’s medical journey took off.

Sophie was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma at just three years old and spent 16 months battling this horrible disease. Her treatment, which went on for almost 2 years, included 12 rounds of radiation, multiple surgeries and a bone marrow transplant.

Seanna loves life. She has the strongest spirit and dances to her own beat like no one is watching. This truly inspirational young lady lights up a room and gives no indication of what she’s been through and how difficult her life can be.

Byron was just 17 months old when his medical journey began, and when that journey is still going at 13 years old, brave doesn’t seem a big enough word to describe this truly amazing young man.

Imagine having to tell your beautiful six-year-old daughter – who has already survived an aggressive cancer once – she has to fight it all over again?

William is a happy go-lucky little boy who loves to clap, wave, talk to his big brother Harry, laugh and roll around on the floor playing with his toys. Looking at him now, at 11 months old, you would never know the tough start he had to life.

Mila’s mum took her to the doctor thinking she just had tonsillitis, only to discover she had leukaemia.

Diagnosed with philadelphia positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when he was 9, Harry has faced a tough four-year battle to get his life to where it is today.

When Sofia was nine, sore knees prompted a routine x-ray of her legs, A mass was located just above her right knee and on March 5 2019 the tests confirmed the family’s worst nightmare – the mass was a malignant tumour. Sofia had bone cancer.

Ava had been sick on and off for a couple of months with gastro symptoms and regular visits to emergency couldn’t find out what was wrong. Never did it cross her parent’s mind that it all might be related to brain cancer.

Diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer in his hand when he was seven, Flynn had to have his pinkie and ring finger amputated, all the way up to his wrist.

During the late stages of Brianna’s labour, the midwives realised something wasn’t right. When baby William arrived he was having trouble breathing and was airlifted to Brisbane.

Edi was a completely healthy, 20 month old when parents Kimberley and Scott noticed a small lump behind his ear. The lump proved to be cancerous.

When Archer was just five months old, he was diagnosed with meningococcal septicemia W strain. What started as a normal day, ended in every parents’ worst nightmare.

Esther is seven and was born with albinism. She loves to sing and dance and is always smiling – even through her battle to beat two Wilms’ tumours on her kidney when she was just four years old.

Two days after his eight birthday Oliver had a motorbike accident on his family’s farm in northern NSW. He was knocked unconscious and had to be airlifted to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.

After weeks of no improvement in persistent virus type symptoms, three-year-old Grace was taken to hospital. Her condition was worsening, and her concerned parents knew there was more to it, but never did they think the diagnoses would be leukaemia.

Zayden received a diagnosis at two-and-a-half years old, of GABRB2 Genetic Mutation. He is one of only 15 children in the world to have this condition.

Oscar is five years old and has sadly grown up with the knowledge that any food he eats could harm or even kill him.

At just two weeks old, following the routine heel prick test, Beau was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

There were many treatments and complications in the first three weeks of Alexander’s life, including a cardiac arrest and a large operation to repair a diaphragmatic hernia.

Nancellar experienced three blackouts and was extremely pale. After multiple tests, the family learned the devastating news that he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Digby, was like any other little boy, loved riding his bike and playing with his trucks but a recurrent virus, trouble sleeping, and an intolerance of food rang alarm bells for his parents.

At only nine weeks old, Callum’s doctors discovered he had airway deformities, which meant he had to undergo major surgery to help him breath.

When Renata felt a hard mass on the right side of Phoenix’s tummy, she knew she needed to get him to a doctor. An ultrasound confirmed her one-year-old son had a stage four Wilms’ tumour.

After months of feeling unwell, unexplained aches and pains, as well as weight loss, Violet, aged six at the time, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma.

In April 2019, in the emergency room of Bundaberg Hospital, at 11pm Arianna’s parents received the devastating news their daughter had leukaemia.

In November 2017, at just six years old, Matilda was diagnosed with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukeamia.

Two-year-old Darcy is a determined little boy, defying all the odds by living with an extremely rare chromosome disorder.

If Jordan’s phenylketonuria is not treated, phenylalanine, an amino acid in the blood, can build up causing intellectual disability and other serious health problems.

In December 2018 Keynen finished kindy and was looking forward to starting school, but by mid-December he was struck down by a nasty tropical ear infection and a severe case of gastro.