LITTLE Swan Hill superhero Parker O’Bree is one child who will thank The Royal Children’s Hospital this Easter.
As the world-leading hospital launches another Good Friday Appeal, little Parker is coming to the end of his last round of chemotherapy.
The 19-month-old’s mother Ri Green said Parker would hopefully be at the end of his chemo treatment this week.”After 38 weeks, 13 cycles of chemo (three different drugs administered over a three-week cycle), Parker underwent his last round of chemo,” she said this week.”It was hard to hold back the tears today, feeling so overjoyed that this could be the last day ever that Parker will have to have chemo.
“We truly cannot thank Parker’s team of oncology doctors, surgeons and nurses and his nephrology and endocrinology doctors at The Royal Children’s Hospital for giving our little man the best chance at living his best life.”Parker still has to undergo two more weeks of radiation on his lungs and remain in Melbourne while his blood counts are low and he is susceptible to infection but there is light on the horizon.
The family received the news in the past month that, for the first time, Parker had not grown new tumours.
This means that as long as that continues Parker and his family will come home to Swan Hill for good on April 30.
This comes after a mighty fight by the youngster and his parents.Parker was diagnosed with the childhood cancer, called Wilms’ tumour or nephroblastoma, at 10 months.
The doctors told the family that their baby had stage 5 of the disease in a rare bilateral form affecting both kidneys.
Ms Green spoke to The Guardian last year about that “earth-shattering” experience, sitting in a consulting room with a team of oncologists.
They learned that Parker was not only one of the 5 per cent of patients with nephroblastoma to develop tumours on both kidneys, but that the cancer had also spread to his lungs.Parker’s family have discovered that their son is missing a protein on chromosome 11, which affects the development of the renal system.
Further testing will reveal whether Ms Green, dad Shaun O’Bree (a key member of The Guardian team) or baby brother Huddon might also be affected by this abnormality.
Parker will need a review and ultrasound every three months for the next seven years as well as ongoing reviews at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre for the rest of his life.”But this is such a small, small cost to ensure our baby’s health,” Ms Green said.
The family was rocked again recently by the news that Ms Green’s mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer but Ms Green said she was grateful that the family would be together again soon to make that journey together.Since 1931, The Good Friday Appeal has contributed more than $399 million to the hospital that saved Parker’s life, and which helps thousands of children from around Australia and beyond each year.
Even in a tough 2021, the public managed to raise more than $17 million and will be hoping to raise more this year.
Look out for local collectors or head to goodfridayappeal.com.au/donate to help the RCH continue its life-saving work.
