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Oli's Story
Oli truly is a superhero to his family, a boy who defied odds and survived neuroblastoma. He was diagnosed with the disease on 11th September 2020, at only two years of age.
One of the worst things in life is being told your child has cancer, and not just any cancer, a rare cancer called Neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma has such a poor prognosis. It is aggressive, and often advanced by the time it is diagnosed.
Treatments for Neuroblastoma can be brutal for young children. If your child survives the treatment, you are stuck with the constant fear that, due to neuroblastoma’s aggressive nature and absence of known cures, there is a high likelihood it will return. Oli's Mum, Leni, shares her son's story.
A month before his diagnosis, Oli developed a limp and suffered a broken femur bone. We were admitted into the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne to undergo tests.
We were placed under the care of the orthopaedic team, but instead of getting better Oli started getting sicker very quickly. In the absence of any conclusive answers, the surgeons completed a bone biopsy in the hope they would identify a potential bone infection. Instead, they found something much worse - neuroblastoma. The team discovered a 10cm tumour in Oli’s stomach and cancer littered throughout his little bones and lymph nodes.
"The next year and a half of our life became a cycle of heartbreak, nightmares, exhaustion, anger, gratitude and love. " Leni, Oli's Mum
However, miracles do happen.
After 18 months of treatment Oli rang the hospital’s celebration bell to signify that he was finally cancer free. No words can describe our gratitude for the team at RCH who literally saved his life. We also thank wonderful organisations like Neuroblastoma Australia for their support.
Following on from the successful treatment Oli received at RCH we did not want to leave any stone unturned to defeat this beast, so we embarked on a further trial treatment in the USA for an additional two years.
"Going through a childhood cancer diagnosis, and being told your child has to undergo an intense and risky treatment protocol and still has a poor prognosis is indescribable. It’s incredibly long and hard and traumatic for the whole family and we desperately need to improve treatments." Leni, Oli's Mum
From our journey we have learned that leaning on your loved ones, connecting with other families, finding support in the community, and celebrating each positive moment, no matter how small, will keep you going.
So many people have been on this journey with us and supported us, and we are forever thankful. We love you Oli, and to his wonderful sisters Alesia and Thalia - you have been his best fans.
