Eli’s Story

Her husband Peter says that moment still haunts him.

As the doctors rushed newborn Eli out to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Jenny and Peter had no idea of the heartache that lay ahead.

Over the following hours, as baby Eli rapidly deteriorated, he was ventilated and put in a coma. “We were told that he may not make it,” Peter says.
Eli rallied, but at just eight days old, he was diagnosed with vocal cord palsy and laryngomalacia. At five weeks, he underwent a tracheostomy; a procedure to cut an opening into his windpipe to assist breathing.

It was during this surgery doctors found a lump to the left side of Eli’s neck.

Jenny and Peter’s worst fears were realised when doctors confirmed that the lump was a neuroblastoma: an aggressive tumour that takes the lives of more children under five than any other cancer. How much more could this little fellow – and the family who love him – endure? At only three months, Eli had already undergone two gruelling rounds of chemotherapy on his tiny body. In 2020, the family reached out to Camp Quality for support.

As Peter explains, Eli’s ill health and ongoing care took a huge toll on the whole family. Peter and Jenny were barely sleeping and struggling to give their three other children the attention they desperately needed. They were at breaking point.

“We weren’t coping at all,” he says.

Our team rallied behind Peter and his family, providing relief with a week away at one of our retreats. Two Camp Quality medical volunteers provided 24-hour care for Eli, so the family could finally get some rest and enjoy a stress- free time together. But it was Family Camp they were most excited about.

Kids facing cancer and their families need and deserve the kind of time-out and support that we offer at our Family Camps. With volunteers on hand to play with kids, and all activities and meals taken care of, parents have a moment to relax:

often for the first time since diagnosis. Sadly, for many of the children who have undergone, or are still going through, cancer treatment and are on the wait lists to attend a camp, this is precious time they won’t get back.

For their brothers and sisters, this is precious time too: time to have fun, laugh and make new friends and memories with other kids who understand their pain. And to finally, have quality time with their parents. After all, you only have one childhood.

For their parents? Just ask Peter.

With your support,we can make up for lost time! This year, we plan to host around 30 Family Camps. That’s happy-memories-in-the-making for around 1800 family members.

Think of your kind donation as the gift of a family ticket to something truly magical: a place where positive memories, not centred on cancer treatment, are made. Happy memories that will last a lifetime for kids facing cancer and for those who love them.