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Belinda Hall is the mother of Beau Hewitt, the boy who captivated Australia as he battled with a stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis.
A passionate Manly Sea Eagles fan and courageous, selfless young man, Beau tragically passed after multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, surgical procedures and even a clinical trial drug.
Speaking for the first time publicly since his passing, Belinda shared with The Kids' Cancer Project’s 2026 NSW Autumn Golf Day who Beau was, his ordeal with childhood cancer, and why she continues to fight for kids with cancer and research to help them in the wake of her beautiful son's passing.
The following is a transcript of that speech.
So, Beau! I’ll talk a little bit about Beau first. He was the boy who never stopped moving. He was funny, loud, fiercely polite, and obsessed with footy.
He lived for game day, boots lined up, flags out, the lounge room set like a stadium. There was no room for anyone else to sit because all his gear was everywhere.
He was quick on the field and sharp in the classroom, the kind of teammate who would lead the squad, the kind of brother who would rough and tumble one minute and then be cracking late night jokes the next.
In early 2024, we began to notice something was not right. He was eating like a champion and losing weight incredibly fast. Doctors ran tests, but nothing showed up after visiting 4 doctors.
One day, Beau could not catch his breath and he had trouble walking 10 metres. Within hours, he was sent to hospital. Just after his 12th birthday in March, scans revealed the unbelievable cancer. His cancer was initially diagnosed as stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Beau had a 16 centimetre by nine-centimetre tumour on his chest, which was very close to his major organs, including his heart. Both his lungs were filled with liquid from the cancer, with only a quarter of one working the way it should. This was not all. Cancer had spread to other areas within his body.
The scans were frightening with a scary scene. We were suddenly thrown into a world of war words, treatments, and new medical language that we didn't understand, but we clung to hope and tried to be positive. We had to be strong for Beau, and that was no easy task.
The hospital became our second home. Treatments began immediately, biopsies, blood tests, steroids, surgery to drain liquid from his lungs, chemo, and ongoing spinal chemo treatment under surgery conditions. We had around about 35 of those. Beau endured six rounds of six days of strong chemo.
Every 21 days, we were back in the hospital for six days. Beau dreaded it but knew it was going to help him. Chemo is hard. The constant mouth ulcers that make it impossible to eat, that sting so much that nothing eases the pain. The sickness he felt, the tiredness, and of course, losing his hair. Throughout this, Beau remained strong and was determined to get through each day.
Together we found ways to keep Beau alive. We joked with the nurses, and he had his favourite nurses, played games in the halls, and planned fishing trips between chemo rounds, hoping that he could get out and catch the flathead on the lake. Beau became the heart of his oncology ward, encouraging young kids, sharing his snacks and reminding them they would be okay.
Finally, after the six rounds of chemo, scans revealed the cancer had reduced dramatically, with the tumour on his chest a lot smaller, with the cancer throughout his body completely gone.
The decision was made to remove the remaining tumour on his chest surgically, as this remainder was now in a possible position that it could be removed. The surgery was horrible, waiting for hours for news. I'll never forget waiting outside the ICU, seeing a team of surgeons and nurses walking with Beau in the bed down the corridor. We were hoping it had all gone well, and all the cancer was gone and no longer there.
After waiting what seemed a lifetime, the surgeons informed us a pea-sized piece remained close to his major nerve, which the surgeons could not remove. Our oncology team thought the best course of action was to begin radiation treatment to eliminate the smaller pieces that remained. Beau endured 31 days straight of radiation, with him finally ringing the bell for the end of radiation treatment just before December.
We were still positive and we hoped that we would have a good Christmas. Plans commenced for Beau to ring the end of treatment bell in the cancer ward. We had so much hope through this journey that we could return to our normal life. Just before Christmas, a final scan revealed the cancer had returned throughout Beau's body. We were all devastated, including our amazing oncologist, who was shocked just as much as what we were.
We were determined to try and enjoy our Christmas the best way we could. I'll never forget Beau saying to me, "Mummy, I think this will be my last Christmas."
Beau's condition deteriorated very quickly after Christmas, with him having high temperatures. Bumps and lumps appeared all over his body, including the one that we had just got rid of on his chest, and the liquid that had been drained from his lungs had returned. We spent another three weeks in hospital, more tests and more treatment. This time the news was even more devastating because the cancer had attacked his bones and his spine.
In early January 2025, Beau was placed on a trial drug from America. We played the waiting game for this drug to arrive in Australia. It took three weeks from the time it was ordered to arrive, only to be told that the drug was held up in customs. It was torturous and Beau was declining at a rapid rate.
Each day he had more pain and was becoming weaker. He had fractured his leg from cancer attacking the bones, and he was then in a wheelchair. For someone that was so active to be in a wheelchair, it was devastating for him and us. But he was determined, and after six weeks, he stood up and walked again.
Unfortunately the trial drug did not work. We had exhausted all our treatment options. Beau's cancer was re-diagnosed after testing to be a cancer called epithelial carcinoma, an aggressive and very rare form of cancer.
Beau wished to go home, to spend time with the family, to attend the football games, to try and go fishing again, and to be a normal child. That was his wish. We honoured that wish and we took him home.
He continued with the radiation treatment in the final three months of his life. He endured over 51 rounds of radiation, including the day before he passed away. The last three months of his life was so very hard for all of us, knowing he had limited time left, trying to be strong and brave around him.
I would go into his room and tend to his needs, provide the pain meds that he required, and tried not to break down when I was in there. But every time I left his room, I had tears draining down my face. Beau would call out to me again, and I had to stop crying.
Beau passed away on the 18th of March, 2025. After fighting so hard with everything he had, his wish was to help other children fight cancer. We had numerous conversations about this in the last three months, and why I'm here today is to help so many other kids.
Unbeknown to us, until after he passed away, Beau had set up a Cure for Cancer Fund page on one of his social media pages. He had over 5,000 followers. He also created a t-shirt selling business to raise funds, which we had absolutely no idea about until after. As you can imagine, at 12 years old, it surprised us that he thought of others. That's what he did. He continually thought of other people despite how he was.
Our family promised Beau we would do everything we could to make his wish come true and to help by raising money to fight against this hideous disease. This is just as Beau wished.
Our family supports as much as we can, and we try to do everything we can to support The Kids' Cancer Project. It's fantastic because seeing firsthand where that money goes to and being surrounded by sick children in a ward, there's nothing like that. But please know that any funds that you do donate make a big difference in kids' lives.
Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us fund vital scientific childhood cancer research.
