Eve is a remarkable young woman. She’s travelled the world and lives in the heart of Melbourne CBD. It’s the life she could only dream about during her childhood cancer treatment. Most of Eve’s peers would never know she survived childhood cancer unless they noticed her scar.
Growing up with three older siblings in the small regional town of Coffs Harbour, Eve spent her early childhood outdoors. She was always a healthy child, so when she started complaining about leg pain at nine years old, her mum Rebecca assumed it was growing pain. But when she noticed the swelling, she knew something was wrong.
A visit to the family’s GP marked the start of a long and difficult journey. Scans quickly showed there was cause for concern, so Eve and Rebecca were urgently flown to Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick for further testing.
The results were devastating. Eve had osteosarcoma, a tumour on her tibia, the strongest weight-bearing bone in the body. While this disease is the most common type of bone cancer, 30% of children, like Eve, tragically don’t survive.
A cancer diagnosis meant Eve’s family were separated in an instant. Almost 6 hours and 540kms apart. Her parents made the difficult decision to keep her siblings in Coffs Harbour to maintain some sense of normalcy, while Rebecca relocated to Sydney indefinitely. The whole family’s focus and priority was supporting Eve, but the transition was unbelievably hard.
Eve remembers, "On nights when I was staying at the hospital, often four times per week, my mum slept on the fold-out hospital couch. When I was discharged for the rest of the week, we would both stay at nearby accommodation. This continuous cycle, and my location in Sydney, meant I was unable to visit home, and my siblings could only visit rarely - I only saw them two or three times throughout my treatment."
Eve first started treatment with a course of chemotherapy aimed at reducing the size of her tumour. The side effects were awful and took a toll on her young body.
Once the tumour was smaller, doctors removed it along with her entire tibia. It was replaced with an expandable metallic prosthesis from her thigh to ankle. At the time, this type of magnetic replacement was a gamechanger. It meant doctors could lengthen the rod as Eve grew without further surgery.
After the successful surgery, Eve completed another three-month block of chemotherapy to ensure there weren’t any remnants left.
Eve endured 14 months of treatment before she rang the bell.
Reflecting on her time in hospital, Eve says the people around her helped her through it. From nurses and doctors to music therapists and physios, everyone played a vital role in her survival and recovery. Eve feels especially grateful for the wrap-around care she received.
Eve says, "There were always lots of nurses and doctors around, however, everyone was always really friendly. So many people helped keep me busy, so I was never too bored. From my hospital bed, I was able to write songs and play instruments with my music therapist, as well as paint and draw with my play therapist."
Eve is just one child displaced by childhood cancer. Each year across the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, around 318 families require overnight stays for cancer treatment.
Movement of Many, fighting 
for the health and 
wellbeing of all children in an ever changing world. 
