Australia, meet Evie Weir: the Kindergarten kid from Penrith, New South Wales who’s been battling cancer for almost two-thirds of her life.
And while you’d think not one, but FOUR years facing neuroblastoma would be more than enough run-ins with this life-threatening disease, Evie, with the support of her loving family, is fighting it with as much smiling power as her little body’s got.
Opening up exclusively to YahooBe, Evie’s mum Sarah reveals the anguish her family felt when Evie, who was thought to have beaten the disease for good last year, had new scans taken in January that told a very different story.
“It’s hard, it’s depressing and it’s one of the worst things you can go through especially as a parent, because your job is to protect your kids. You feel so helpless,” Sarah explains of Evie’s third relapse.
It’s this heartbreaking reality – that Evie may not survive this latest diagnosis – that may cripple Sarah at times, but these feelings that she has learnt to cope with.
“It’s a very real possibility that we could lose her and I’ve learnt to allow myself to feel that but not dwell on it,” Sarah continues.
Evie is now undergoing a trial treatment for her cancer that sees her undergoing one doses every three weeks that runs for half an hour. After four rounds of this treatment – a treatment that is said to have already showed positive results in adults with melanoma – doctors will be able to scan Evie to check if the cancer is responding.
“Evie has been so incredible,” Sarah says, speaking of her little girl’s ability to stay true to her happy self during this arduous experience.
“There have been times I’ve gotten a bit teary and she’s telling me ‘It’s OKmummy’ like she’s the one comforting me.”
“To see her smiling throughout, it gives me such strength and you know you just have to keep fighting for her.”
We’re sending Evie, Sarah and the Weir family our support during this time.
