You might remember Emily from the 2013 Gold Telethon. Back then, she was just five years old, fighting leukaemia, and her bright blue eyes and smile touched hearts across the country.  

Now, Emily is a cancer survivor and last Sunday, she tackled City2Surf to give back. She ran 14km from Sydney CBD to Bondi Beach to support Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF), raising over $6,600 to change the future for sick kids. 

Emily's diagnosis

In 2012, Emily’s parents received the heartbreaking news no parent ever wishes to – their daughter had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Her mum, Renee says “I remember seeing a team of 10 people walking down the corridor. Doctors, nurses and a social worker told us Emily’s bone marrow biopsy confirmed she had cancer.  

“They started using words and terms we were unfamiliar with - blood counts, bone marrow aspirates, and lumbar punctures quickly became part of our normal vocabulary.’’ 

For the next two years, Renee and Brian juggled hospital stays with daycare drop-offs. Caring for Emily while trying to maintain a sense of normal for Charlotte (Emily’s twin) and Lucy (her younger sister) was an extended family effort. The girls were too young to understand what was happening, but they questioned, “Why was Emily sleeping over at the hospital without them and losing her hair?” 

Emily celebrated her fifth birthday and Christmas in isolation. 

While the girls couldn’t grasp the full gravity of the situation, they knew their best friend – their third musketeer and fellow princess – was in pain and it was causing tears.  

A special diary

From the moment treatment began, Renee and Brian started blogging to keep their family and friends updated. It also helped them to connect with other families around the world facing the challenges of childhood cancer. 

On Friday 10 May 2013, they shared: “After seven months of intensive chemotherapy, the time has come when Emily’s hair finally had to go. 

"I cut her little plait off and then lifted the birds nest up and gently cut the few loose stands holding on for dear life. A little tidy up and we were done. She looks so beautiful!!!! And I think she felt liberated.’’ 

Today, these diary entries have become cherished mementos of their family’s roller coaster journey. They have also helped Emily come to terms with her diagnosis and recorded the family’s extraordinary efforts to help SCHF raise vital funds and awareness of childhood cancer. 

Making every step count for sick kids 

Over 12 years later, Emily is thriving and has adopted her parents’ passion for philanthropy. Now in her final years of school, Emily dreams of studying nursing so she can one day be a nurse at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick and care for sick kids too.

When registrations for this year’s City2Surf opened, Emily eagerly signed up and joined Team SCHF to turn her gratitude into action. 

Emily says, “Cancer was a time filled with fear, pain, and uncertainty, not just for me but my whole family. In the dark times there were also moments of incredible strength, resilience, and hope. I will be forever grateful for the extraordinary care I received at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. I not only survived, I found my purpose.’’ 

Kids like Emily are the driving force behind community fundraising.  

The funds raised by Team SCHF at City2Surf 2025 will help find answers to rare diseases, faster ways to diagnose illness and treat injury, support clinical trials, help build clinical and patient family-centred spaces in hospital, and create positive patient experiences for kids and their families.  

Donate today to join Emily's mission and change the future for sick kids.