It was a day that should have been filled with happy memories. But last year, on her son’s second birthday, Tiffany’s world was turned upside down.
“Tommy was really sick on his birthday,” the mum-of-four recalls. “He wouldn’t move, and he had fevers that weren’t coming down with Pamol. The day after his birthday, every time I picked his legs up to change his nappy, he’d scream in pain.”
Tiffany called an ambulance, and her little boy was taken to Waitākere Hospital. After tests and a transfer to Starship, Tommy received a diagnosis no parent is ever prepared for – acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Tommy was started on intense chemotherapy straight away. Later, when the treatment caused him to lose his hair, it meant there was no escape from the reality they were living through.
“For me, that was the most upsetting bit,” Tiffany says. “When Tommy had hair, on the days he wasn’t sick, you could look at him and almost forget he had cancer. But when he had no hair, it was always a visual reminder.”
When Tommy eventually finished his treatment and began maintenance chemotherapy, Tiffany felt like the worst was over. But it wasn’t long until the family was thrown another curveball – this time, a serious fungal infection in Tommy’s lungs. The two-year-old was back in hospital for seven weeks while the infection was brought under control. “I’ve never had more anxiety in my entire life than when we were waiting to see if the antifungal was working.”
Tiffany struggles with all the things Tommy is missing out on due to his weakened immune system. “We’ve basically been living in a cancer bubble for his whole treatment,” she says. “We can’t go to playgrounds where Tommy can play with other kids. We’ve got to keep driving until we see a playground with nobody on it – it’s sad.”
One person who has made the journey less isolating is Tim from LBC’s support services team. “Tim is wonderful. He’s there any time we need. He was the one that helped me through Tommy’s fungal infection. There were points where he must have noticed I went quiet, and he’d reach out – he just knew I needed support.”
Tommy’s sister, Charley, has also been supported by LBC. She attends Kids’ Club, which is a support group for children who have a sibling or parent with blood cancer.
Tiffany has found comfort in connecting with others in LBC’s Facebook groups, and is grateful for grocery vouchers provided by LBC, which have made a difficult time more manageable.
With Tommy now back on maintenance chemo, he’s due to start kindy soon – which both he and his mum are very excited about.
“I’m feeling positive. Things are back on the right track!”