The Rollinsons’ Story

It was a tragic case of history repeating itself when Luke and Katie Rollinson found out their six-month-old son, Eli, had cancer. Luke had lost his own eye at 18 months old due to retinoblastoma cancer, and Eli had unfortunately inherited the same gene.

Unfortunately, worse was yet to come. As Katie was pregnant with their second child, she underwent an amniocentesis to find out if their unborn baby girl, Harper, also carried the gene. Sadly, she did.

Katie would need to deliver baby Harper early, so chemotherapy treatment could begin.

“Whilst it was quite devastating at the time, we remained positive that we were doing the right thing,” Katie tells Camp Quality. “We were going to deliver her early, and treat her early, and we’d be ahead of the game.”

With both of their infant children, Eli, now 3, and Harper, 2, needing regular ongoing cancer treatment in hospital, the Rollinsons have had to endure more in the past three years than most families do in a lifetime.

Camp Quality has been there to support them. Thanks to our generous donors, we were able to give the Rollinsons a much-needed break from the stresses of cancer on a free Family Camp.

How Camp Quality Helped

The Rollinsons, from Bulli in NSW, went on a family holiday to the Perisher snowfields, where they were able to make happy memories together and connect with others in a similar situation.

“While we were at the camp in the snow, we got the opportunity to meet other families,” says Katie. “It was really beautiful to share our experiences and to understand we are not alone; we’re not going through this alone.”

Camp Quality is only able to provide our services to families like the Rollinsons due to the big hearts of our supporters. Family Camps, give families facing cancer the chance to create precious memories not centred on sickness – often for the first time since diagnosis.

“We can’t thank Camp Quality enough for giving us that opportunity and, if you’re looking to donate, you are going to give another family that opportunity,” says Luke.