Oli's Story

One of the worst things in life is being told your child has cancer, and not just any cancer, a rare cancer called Neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma has such a poor prognosis.  It is aggressive, and often advanced by the time it is diagnosed. 

Treatments for Neuroblastoma can be brutal for young children. If your child survives the treatment, you are stuck with the constant fear that, due to neuroblastoma’s aggressive nature and absence of known cures, there is a high likelihood it will return.  Below Oli's Mum, Leni, shares her son's story.

Oli truly is our superhero, a boy who defied odds and survived Neuroblastoma. He was diagnosed with the disease on 11th September 2020, at only two years of age.  

A month before his diagnosis, Oli developed a limp and suffered a broken femur bone. We were admitted into the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne to undergo tests. 

We were placed under the care of the orthopaedic team, but instead of getting better Oli started getting sicker very quickly.  In the absence of any conclusive answers, the surgeons completed a bone biopsy in the hope they would identify a potential bone infection.  Instead, they found something much worse - neuroblastoma. The team discovered a 10cm tumour in Oli’s stomach and cancer littered throughout his little bones and lymph nodes. 

Going through a childhood cancer diagnosis, and being told your child has to undergo an intense and risky treatment protocol and still has a poor prognosis is indescribable. It’s incredibly long and hard and traumatic for the whole family and we desperately need to improve treatments. Leni, Oli's mum

However, miracles do happen.   

After 18 months of treatment Oli rang the hospital’s celebration bell to signify that he was finally cancer free. No words can describe our gratitude for the team at RCH who literally saved his life. We also thank wonderful organisations like Neuroblastoma Australia for their support. 

Following on from the successful treatment Oli received at RCH we did not want to leave any stone unturned to defeat this beast, so we embarked on a further trial treatment in the USA for an additional two years.  

Oli is now halfway through his first year at school and attending Auskick, along with other therapies every week as his journey to full strength continues.  

So many people have been on this journey with us and supported us, and we are forever thankful. We love you Oli, and to his wonderful sisters Alesia and Thalia - you have been his best fans. 

Help Young Children Like Oli

Neuroblastoma Australia is working with researchers to develop more effective and less toxic treatments for all children diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

We need to ensure every child gets the opportunity to grow up and lead a long and healthy life. Your help matters. Your donation to Neuroblastoma Australia ensures that we can continue to help fund the research needed to develop better and safer treatments, and ultimately find a cure.

Donating is simple. Follow the button below to make a donation via our secure payment gateway. You will be issued with a tax-deductible receipt immediately. Thank you.

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$30 Gift a child in hospital or isolation with an activity pack to keep them busy and entertained.

$50 Help scientists screen the efficacy and safety of new drugs to effectively treat children battling neuroblastoma.

$100 Help provide six months' of antibody to detect abnormal proteins in tumours so we can find out more about what causes neuroblastoma.

$250 Support the advanced technology researchers need to examine neuroblastoma samples. These provide information about the disease which scientists can use to design treatments that work better for kids.

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