Alicia lives on the Mid North Coast with her husband Steve, son Bronson, six and daughters, Dahlia, three and Mabel, one. 

Bronson was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) when he was just four years old. Alicia was 12 weeks pregnant with Mabel when he was diagnosed.

“Bronson our 6-year-old is our mister social. He started kindy this year and he absolutely loves it. He missed probably six months of preschool in the lead up, but he loves being back at school. He just loves being around people and making new friends. That’s his jam.”

Alicia and Steve knew something was wrong in the lead up to Bronson’s diagnosis.

“He looked really pale. His appetite was lacking. He wasn’t eating as much food, which meant that he was starting to lose a bit of weight. He just seemed unwell and not himself, but it got to the point where he stopped weight-bearing on one of his legs because it was hurting so much. And then, eventually, it reached a point where he wouldn’t weight bear on it at all. He didn’t want to walk, which was very strange for a very active four-year-old boy to not want to walk by choice.”

“We were seeking advice from a few different medical professionals. In the month leading up to diagnosis, we went to the emergency department four times. We were sent home every time, but as the parents, we knew something was wrong.”

After pushing for bloods tests, the results came the next day. “I got a call from head of paediatrics at the hospital saying, ‘Pack a bag. Bring your husband, bring Bronson, bring one of your own parents along. You’re going to receive some bad news. Bring some support.’”

Bronson’s treatment started immediately after diagnosis.

“We arrived on a Tuesday night and then he was sent straight in for a lumbar puncture and received his very first dose of chemo on the Thursday morning. Once he started chemo and steroids, he wouldn’t even put his feet on the ground. So, those initial couple of months were stressful, because I was pregnant and having to carry him everywhere, but it was also not really knowing if he would walk again.”

For the initial six months of Bronson’s treatment, the family had to move to Newcastle to be near John Hunter Children’s Hospital.

Alicia and Steve own a café and had just purchased a wedding and events business. Their community supported them and helped coordinate practical ways to help to keep their café open.

“We did close initially for the first couple of days until word got around and people stepped in to help us. Steve spent, I think, the first two weeks in Newcastle while we tried to wrap our heads around everything. And then after that, the whole time we were living in Newcastle, he was half here and half there. So, he was driving back and forward sometimes twice a week to try to keep us afloat.

I like to think we were pretty involved with our community. We were always out of the house, at the cafe with the kids, and they love just being around other people. We were trying to build both businesses up as much as possible. We’ve made so many friends through business. We’ve got a lot of family support here at home too.”

Both Alicia and Steve’s parents travelled regularly to support the family wherever they could.

“My dad was the one that came with us, so he was the one sitting with us. While we were listening to the news, he was the one that was making the notes and making sure we had what we needed. Both our parents all rushed in to see us off in the ambulance and then the plane. They all coordinated themselves to look after Dahlia, our 18-month-old at the time. We formed a bit of a calendar of who could come to Newcastle and look after her.

Up until that point, I’d never spent a night away from her ever. She was a very dependent baby, so from being with her every night to, I think I saw her for three hours in that first week, it was devastating. But thank God for the grandparents because I don’t know what we would’ve done without them. They were there staying at our accommodation, just taking shifts of who could travel back and forward and subbing in and out whenever they could.”

“We had a few friends that started talking about it, and then we found that people were coming in to support the cafe a bit more, knowing that we weren’t there. So, instead of coming in twice a week, they would come in four or five times a week. And even though we weren’t there to see it, it was really nice to know.”

Bronson is still going in for hospital appointments once a month for a blood test, we stay the night, have his clinic appointment, and then come home.

“He does still have a procedure every three months. Bronson is friends with anybody that he meets. We were worried he would lose that, but he never did. He just loves to make people laugh, basically. That’s his thing.”

Bronson’s treatment is due to finish at the end of August 2024.