It took six weeks before mother-of-two Ana McEldowney noticed her eight-year-old daughter Mia was being ‘a little bit clumsy’.
While some children are prone to bumping into walls and tables or grazing their knees, her little girl had always been light on her feet.
Ana’s sister saw the same lack of coordination when Mia played her last netball game on June 22 – but her sister-in-law, who is a nurse, put it down to an ear infection.
But just 24 hours later the famil, from Mackay, Queensland, were left reeling after Mia was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour.
‘I saw the look on the doctors’ faces. But I was expecting them to say literally anything other than what they did,’ the 32-year-old mother told Femail.
‘And then… nine months to live.’
It took six weeks before mother-of-two Ana McEldowney noticed her daughter Mia’s (pictured) clumsiness
‘I saw the look on the doctor’s faces. But I was expecting them to say literally anything other than what they did,’ the mother told Femail (pictured with Mia, her sister Quinn and husband Chris)
Tests showed a tumour on Mia’s brain that had buried itself so deeply it couldn’t be cut out.
‘It was a slow growing DIPG (an aggressive type of childhood cancerous tumour), a mass that sits in the centre of your brain stem,’ Ana said.
‘It could have been there since birth and grown as her brain did. The doctors can’t say how it came about only that chemotherapy won’t help.’
There was only one option -six weeks of radiation to try and shrink the tumour.
That’s 30 days of treatment with unknown side effects, long hours in a sterile hospital room and a family worried sick about their darling girl.
Tests showed a tumour on Mia’s brain that had buried itself so deeply it couldn’t be cut out. Specialists used the words ‘incurable’
‘If we did nothing they gave her nine months,’ Ana said (her two daughters pictured)
‘If we did nothing they gave her nine months,’ Ana said.
‘But with radiation she might get between two and five years.’
Ana’s brother James helped set up a Give A Little page knowing that the family-of-four would be stationed in Brisbane, ten hours away from Mackay, for at least six weeks.
‘Radiation starts tomorrow. They hope in the long run it will make her more comfortable but she might be nauseous or even more tired,’ she said.
‘I’ve seen such a change already in the last two weeks. She uses a wheelchair to get around outside because she loses energy quickly.
Ana’s brother James helped set up a Give A Little page knowing that the family-of-four would be stationed in Brisbane, ten hours away from Mackay, for at least six weeks
In the face of insurmountable stress – and the possibility they could lose their eldest daughter at any moment – Ana and Chris are holding onto any inkling of hope
‘One of her eyes keeps dropping as well.’
In the face of insurmountable stress – and the possibility they could lose their eldest daughter at any moment – Ana and Chris are holding onto any inkling of hope.
‘She had a biopsy on Wednesday so we could try and get some more information about the tumour, maybe it can be treated another way,’ Ana said.
‘She’s a fighter but… it’s so hard.’
Mia (right) doesn’t truly know the extent of her illness and continues to innocently play with her sister Quinn (left), five, and cousins every time they visit the hospital
Her parents have started a Facebook page, Miracles for Mia , in a bid to reach their support network while they are by her bedside
Mia doesn’t truly know the extent of her illness and continues to innocently play with her sister Quinn, five, and cousins every time they visit the hospital.
Her parents have started a Facebook page, Miracles for Mia, in a bid to reach their support network while they are by her bedside.
‘We have been overwhelmed by the text messages of support and money raised by complete strangers,’ Ana said.
‘We can only hope that radiation will extend her life for as long as it takes to find a cure.’
You can help the McEldowney family by donating here.