Eva - Braver, Stronger, Smarter
Eva’s story as told by her mum, Sharleigh
Eva’s from Regional Victoria, near Mildura. A very loving child, very caring towards everyone in her family especially her big brother, Quinn. In her eyes he could do no wrong. She was very brave in the sense of being a risk taker, always wanting to try what the bigger kids were doing and never holding back. Everything about her is a favourite memory because I don’t have enough of them. She loved hockey and training for hockey, dancing and music in particular. No nursery rhymes for her though, it was Lady Gaga and Pitbull. She loved the song ‘Ghostbusters but Probably her favourite was ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams.
It began with a very small, barely discernible lump on her arm that spread and grew extremely rapidly. She was diagnosed with Metastatic embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in early 2012, only a few weeks after her 4th birthday. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare type of cancer that forms in soft tissue — specifically skeletal muscle tissue or sometimes hollow organs such as the bladder or uterus. RMS can occur at any age, but it most often affects children. Although RMS can arise anywhere in the body, for Eva the primary tumour was found in her left arm with metastases in the lungs.
She was treated in Adelaide 400km away. On relapse she travelled 1000km every week to get treatment at Westmead in Sydney. Eva went through a year of front line treatment which included vincristine, cyclophosphamide, dactinomycin, doxorubicin, isophosphamide and irinotecan and 6 weeks of radiation. On relapse she endured debulking surgery which removed her shoulder and further chemo with rapamycin and cyclophosphamide. When these failed her arm was amputated in early 2014 and she used carbozantinib and went through another 4 weeks of radiation.
Eva thrived and lived with cancer in her actions and attitude to life. Prior to a procedure though she always put on her headphones and listened to Katy Perry. She would often play music loud in the ward and be asked by the other kids to turn it up and by the nurses to turn it down.
Conventional treatment options were exhausted early in her battle and she tried a number of experimental treatments not tried with her cancer type before. Eva fought this beast for 2 years and 8 months, passing away 28th October, 2014.
The biggest legacy is the motivation, resilience and strength she taught us, but the charity Braver Stronger Smarter is a platform inspired by her to share information and help others. Eva's family and friends are determined to continue Eva's legacy by honouring her example in always looking for sunshine in the shadows. We will:
* Raise community and government awareness of childhood cancer and empower others to become involved and make a difference for children with cancer.
* Raise money for translational research into high risk childhood cancers.
* Raise money to help children who have exhausted standard treatment options to obtain personalised medical assistance.
In September of 2021, the BSS Foundation held a Gala charity dinner as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness and another in Melbourne. Between the two events, Eva’s legacy organisation raised $63,475. The funds from these events will be dedicated to assisting rural and regional families facing paediatric cancer diagnoses and the challenges faced with remote locations. One of the most difficult struggles families can face in the importance of caring for your child and the isolation and financial stress of being away from home and support.
A monumental legacy Eva – you mark is well and truly in place.
The Facebook Live video about Eva’s story as posted as part of Superhero September, 2021 can be found below: