My friends have had to deal with the unimaginable as first time parents! Their adversity and strength is commendable, this is their story: 

“In December 2019, we welcomed the arrival of our gorgeous baby boy. The natural high we were riding on was quickly overshadowed by the presence of Thanasi's distended abdomen. His belly was so swollen that it was considerably larger than his head, and we were rushed to Westmead Children's Hospital for further investigation and testing. 

Upon arriving at the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Thanasi was immediately pricked and prodded. We watched as staff made multiple attempts to insert cannulas, made more difficult by the fact his tiny veins kept collapsing. Numerous questions, interviews with specialists and two scans later, we got our answer. Cancer. It is not something any person should have to hear, let alone a parent about their child.

On day one of his life, Thanasi was diagnosed with stage 4S neuroblastoma. On day two, he underwent his first procedure and had a central line inserted into his chest. Then on days three, four and five, he had his first round of chemotherapy. He endured the same side effects that adults have experienced with this treatment; nausea, vomiting, fever, lethargy, hair loss and weight loss. As a newborn, Thanasi needed size 2 baby nappies (normally used for 6 month old babies) because of his distended abdomen. However, after the rapid weight loss he experienced from the chemo, he had to start wearing premature nappies. Each day was honestly more difficult than the last. We fought through the tears as we found clumps of his hair on our clothes on Christmas Day (our first as a family, which we spent in hospital) and watched our little man fight for his life.

Thanasi spent three weeks in NICU before being transferred to the hospital's oncology ward (the only ward more heartbreaking than NICU itself). He underwent four rounds of chemo before he was three months old. Although the treatment helped save his life, it has also had lifelong consequences. It was another difficult day when doctors delivered the news that due to the chemotherapy drugs used as part of his treatment, Thanasi would experience hearing loss. We were riddled with worry, "will this affect his speech?", "will he be bullied at school?", "will this hinder his ability to pursue a career of his choice?".

We are so lucky that our little boy is a fighter and a survivor, as we know that this is not the case for many other children diagnosed with this cruel cancer. We feel blessed and thank God every day that Thanasi was one of the 'lucky' kids of those diagnosed with neuroblastoma. One of the kids who got to go home and will get to live a fulfilling life no matter what.” 

On Saturday 4th September I will be running 10km to raise money not only for Thanasi, but for Run2Cure, any donation would be greatly appreciated!! 

Thanks so much for your support!