'My daughter was diagnosed with cancer at 2. Here's what I wish someone had told me.'

Thanks to our brand partner, The Hospital Research Foundation

Imagine wishing for the noisy daily stresses of family life — the tantruming kids, messy walls and noisy sibling warfare.

For Beth Thomas, the wish for this brand of family chaos felt very real after her daughter Edwina was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when she was just two.

"It's hard to explain the grief you feel in those early days," Beth said. "Your whole world narrows down to the next test result, the next hospital appointment. I remember thinking, how did I ever think I was busy or stressed before this?"

What started as a suspected viral illness escalated, and Beth's instinct that something was really wrong led her to keep taking Edwina back to the doctor for check-ups.

"She was just off. At first, we thought it was a virus — she had temperatures on and off, she was increasingly irritable and she was withdrawing from wanting to play. This went on for about eight weeks before a blood test showed that she was anaemic," said Beth.

When Edwina was struggling with severe tummy pain, they took her straight to the hospital, where Beth's concerns quickly turned into a whirlwind of scans, diagnoses and hospital stays. Life as they knew it changed forever.

"My husband and I were like ships in the night, taking turns to be with Edwina and also caring for my son who was only a few months old at the time," recalled Beth.

"I remember wishing someone had told me that Edwina's irritability wasn't just because she was adjusting to having a new baby brother — it was because she was really not feeling right. But she was so young and she was our first child, so we had nothing else to compare her behaviour to."

Nine years later, Edwina is a vibrant 11-year-old, full of sass and energy. She's often found playing with her siblings Harry, eight, and Pippa, five, and filling the house with the kind of noise Beth once feared she might never hear again.

Image: Supplied.

"It's the simple things," Beth reflected. "Eating dinner together, watching the kids squabble over the TV remote… they're all moments we don't take for granted anymore."

It's these everyday moments — the ones most of us rush through — that now feel like hard-won miracles. And they've been made possible in part by ongoing research into childhood cancer, like that funded by The Hospital Research Foundation Group.

"We're so lucky," Beth said. "The treatment Edwina received for her neuroblastoma cancer saved her life. But it's only because of medical research that those treatments even exist."

The Hospital Research Foundation Group is working to ensure more families like Beth's get the chance to make everyday memories. Their funding helps progress research that improves childhood cancer survival rates and develops better, less invasive treatments. For Beth, supporting this work isn't just a cause — it's personal.

"I think about the families still going through it," she said. "I want them to know they're not alone."

Beth's memories of the early months of treatment are sharp-edged. She reflects on endless days in hospital and the overwhelm of juggling Edwina's treatment with the demands of her young son and their other responsibilities. But she also remembers the fierce resilience her daughter showed, the small joys they clung to and the kindness of the nurses who became like family.

"There were dark moments," she admitted. "But in many ways it made our family stronger and brought my husband and I even closer."

Today, Edwina is in remission although she's still dealing with the aftermath of her life-saving treatment. The chemo that cured her cancer has impacted her lung capacity, so regular scans and hospital visits are still part of their lives — although on a much smaller scale.

Beth said the side effects of the treatment are another reason research is still so needed.

"For a cancer like neuroblastoma, it's not only hard to diagnose early — because of the generalised symptoms — but it also requires quite broad non-specific treatments which can lead to lifelong health conditions," said Beth.

Beth wants parents who are facing a similar diagnosis to know that there is hope and if this experience has taught her anything, it's to not sweat the small stuff.

"Edwina's diagnosis and treatment has really helped me learn to keep everything in perspective. It doesn't matter. Small stuff doesn't matter. We've learned to enjoy life, spend quality time together and not take things for granted."

Image: Supplied.

While the hospital years are still clear in Beth's mind, for Edwina they're a long-forgotten memory and she is now focused on her friends, school and her love of gymnastics — she trains for five hours a week at their local gym and it's a pastime she loves sharing with her sister.

"She also loves basketball and football and she's just a really bubbly little girl and a joy to have around," said Beth.

As the family embraces a much more ordinary, beautifully messy life, Beth continues to advocate for childhood cancer research.

"Research gave us a future with our daughter," she said. "That's the most precious gift of all."

Discover how you can support The Hospital Research Foundation Group here.

Feature Image: Supplied.

The Hospital Research Foundation Group funds life-changing medical research to find cures and improve care.
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