Joseph was diagnosed with advanced Neuroblastoma, a cancerous tumour, at the age of two. Within 48 hours, Joseph’s family had moved from Canberra to Sydney to be based at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Oncology Ward which would become their ‘home’ for the next six months whilst Joseph received immediate treatment.

 

Joseph’s discharge from hospital was a bittersweet moment for his parents, Kris and David. Kris in particular found the next phase to be more frightening than Joseph’s intensive treatment regime.

 

“With treatment, there was always a focus and something to strive for,” Kris recalls. “However, heading back home to the community and the lack of daily contact with our oncologist, social workers and other families on the ward that we drew support from, meant a whole new series of worries.”

 

“The fear that Joseph might contract something else, even a cold, was never too far from our minds as his immunity was extremely low. We had to be careful about his daily activities and there was the emotional stress of him relapsing.”

 

With an uncertain future ahead, Kris’s anxiety grew. This is when a social worker told her about Redkite’s community based services.

 

Redkite’s community-based support services, which include telephone and email counselling and telegroup support, are incredibly important as they not only offer essential support during the cancer experience, but also give families the help they need when returning to the community after intense and long periods away from ‘normal’ life.

 

“It was a very cathartic experience,” says Kris. “It gave me a vehicle to voice my fears on how to parent Joseph after his cancer experience, the impact on his siblings and how to readjust to daily life away from the hospital.”

 

Leigh Kurth, Redkite’s Senior Project and Services Coordinator is a facilitator of the Telegroup Program says “Cancer-specific support such as telephone and email support can be vital for families as they have less contact with the hospital when their child completes treatment. It is a fantastic mechanism for parents to share and normalise the many challenges of their experience, whatever stage they are at during the difficult cancer journey.“

 

“It also enabled me to connect back within a community of people who at once indentified and empathised with my journey. Every parent had a different perspective on their experiences so I was able to gain strength from a parent whose child was further down the track in their journey, and similarly, I was able to lend support to a parent whose child had been off treatment for less time than Joseph. The impact was very powerful.”

 

In 12 months Joseph will be free of cancer for five years. It’s a celebration Kris, David and their children have been looking forward to and a long-awaited and well-deserved party is planned.

 

This is just one of the many vital services Redkite provide for families facing the childhood cancer journey. By supporting Redkite through Kitetime, you are ensuring these vital services are available to give children and young people with cancer the best possible outcome.