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THIS BRAVE FAMILY FOUND A PLACE OF SOLACE AMID UNCERTAINTY

- Sara Tapia

In August last year, Lisa McFarlane and her husband Nathan received news most parents can't even begin to fathom. Their four-year-old daughter Eliza had become unwell with flu-like symptoms, she was lethargic, had leg pains and bruising had started appearing on her legs with no explanation. So they did what any parents would do and took her to the local doctor for a routine blood test. "Two hours later, I received a phone call that no parent ever wants to hear, that your child may have leukemia," Lisa tells WHO of the harrowing day.

What came next was a whirlwind. They took Eliza to their local hospital where she started receiving a blood and platelet transfusion. "On Friday, the fifth of August, we were transported by road to Westmead [Children's Hospital], where Nathan and I were told that Eliza had leukemia and that we would need to stay in Westmead for at least six months while she underwent her intense chemotherapy," Lisa shares.