Italia's Story
A Familiar Face When the World Falls Apart
For Italia, childhood cancer wasn't something that happened once.
It happened twice.
Both of her children, Jake and Lily, were just three years old when they were diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) – eleven years apart.
Jake's diagnosis came first in 2001 after what appeared to be a stubborn flu. When he began limping, became unusually lethargic and refused to walk, Italia knew something wasn't right. Following two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy, Jake finished treatment and was declared in remission.
More than a decade later, history repeated itself.
Lily developed similar symptoms after what seemed like another bout of the flu. Deep down, Italia feared the unthinkable.
"When she woke looking yellow, I knew," she recalls. "She had leukaemia."
Lily's treatment was anything but straightforward. Complications followed complications. After completing two years of chemotherapy, her cancer returned just four months later. She endured ten more months of intensive treatment before travelling to Sydney for a life-saving stem cell transplant, only to be told her cancer levels were still too high for the procedure to go ahead.
"It was breaking us," Italia says.
Eventually, Lily received an unrelated cord blood stem cell transplant. But the journey was far from over. Severe graft versus host disease meant years of hospitalisations, intensive treatment and ongoing health challenges before she was finally able to stop treatment in 2022.
Throughout it all, one thing remained constant.
The Childhood Cancer Association.
Italia still remembers receiving the Association's hospital support pack during Jake's treatment. When Lily became ill years later, that familiar hospital bag, filled with practical essentials and a diary that never left her side, became the beginning of a relationship that would support the whole family for years.
The support extended far beyond practical assistance.
Financial help eased pressure when work wasn't possible. Counselling services supported not only Italia, but Lily's siblings, who were also struggling with anxiety, fear and the enormous impact childhood cancer has on brothers and sisters.
"They were with us all the way," Italia says. "I was in autopilot for most of it, but Lily's relapse broke me."
"CCA means understanding - which is something so hard to find with childhood cancer. It means support, non-judgement and care. A familiar safe face when things are so scary."
Today, Lily is looking to the future.
She has her driver's licence, a job, a boyfriend and is enjoying life. While she still lives with ongoing health effects and will require lifelong medical monitoring, she says she feels "really good" and is grateful for how far she has come even though the medical checks will be ongoing for life.
For families like Italia's, the Childhood Cancer Association has been there through diagnosis, treatment, relapse, recovery and everything in between, providing practical and emotional support when it is needed, and for as long as it is needed.
Thanks to the generosity of our community, we can be there to support families like Italia's every step of the way.
Help fill our Hospital Support Packs
We need your help to ensure every newly diagnosed family receives one of our Hospital Support Packs. Filled with everyday essentials, comfort items and practical resources, these bags provide immediate relief during those overwhelming first hours and days that follow a diagnosis, allowing parents to focus on what matters most - their child.
How Your Gift Helps
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$50 to gift an Elliot to a child and an Elliot book for siblings
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$102 to fund essential toiletries for a hospital stay
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$600 to provide a hospital support pack when a child is first diagnosed