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From the moment her daughter Mileah was born, Kelly Hennessy has always backed her motherly instincts.
From the moment her daughter Mileah was born, Kelly Hennessy has always backed her motherly instincts.
It was those instincts that told her something was wrong when Mileah developed a limp. Scans devastatingly revealed she had osteosarcoma in her left knee. She commenced chemotherapy immediately, with the family told that the little one would additionally require an amputation
“My world crumbled and I called my dad in tears, trying to catch my breath. This perfect little human’s life had changed in an instant,” Kelly says.
A search for second opinions kicked off from that point, with Kelly and her father determined to find another way. Enter the rotationplasty, a procedure in which the knee is removed, the foot is rotated 180 degrees, and a prosthesis is fitted. There was only one doctor at the time in Australia that could do it.
Travelling to Melbourne from their native Sydney, the family celebrated as the operation was deemed a success.
Upon their return home, Kelly recalls seeing Mileah at her worst, as chemotherapy resumed.
“The chemotherapy from the outset was horrifying, but coming home and recommencing was somehow even worse.
She contracted a severe infection and issues in her oesophagus. I was worried she wouldn’t make it.
“She slept for two days straight at one point, battling through on various drugs just so that she could be comfortable.
“Every second seriously felt like an eternity.”
Mileah’s situation thankfully did improve, and this story does have a happy ending. Her tumour was localised, meaning that it was removed completely, and her scans and tests continue to improve. She even returned to daycare in September for the first time since her treatment, and this time it was Kelly who was crying, not the other way around.
Kelly says Mileah’s now parading around the house with a microphone in her hand, holding instantaneous concerts for anyone willing to listen!
“I’m now fixated on ensuring Mileah can live the best possible life she can, to grow up happy, ;strong ;and proud of who she is,” Kelly says.
“I’m also keen to share her story to help others in need.
“Watching my child undergo sickening rounds of chemotherapy, having her bloods taken 385 times and receiving more than 25 platelet transfusions has me determined ;to help The Kids’ Cancer Project find better treatments for kids just like Mileah.
“Research is so underfunded that ;there’s ;no other ;option ;for kids with osteosarcoma than to have surgery and chemotherapy, and all the side effects that come with them.
“There’s no alternative, and it affects children in ways that stay with you forever. That doesn’t sit right with me.”
And as for Mileah’s Christmas wish?
She doesn’t want to be near the hospital.
She wants to play at the park and go on holidays and just keep getting better, doing things that little girls do. She’s told me she also wants a kitten.”
There’s no better time to give generously The Kids’ Cancer Project before the 25th of December.
For kids just like Mileah, the gift of more effective, less harmful treatments might just be the best present they hopefully never have to pull out from under the tree.
To donate, hit the button below.
