Meet Tom, the ultimate truck fan and Camp Quality kid

Tom was an active nine-year-old, who loved touch footy and bike riding when he was diagnosed with leukaemia.

The family had just made a big change, moving from the Hunter Valley in NSW to Gippsland in Eastern Victoria. Tom’s dad Troy is an offshore helicopter pilot who had been working as a FIFO pilot working two weeks on, two weeks off across Australia and into East Timor and his mum Tumay was a mining operator, driving dump trucks and drill rigs.

“We decided that Troy was missing out on so much time with the kids that we were going to do this move down to Victoria and in the end, we’ve actually never been spent more time apart,” Tumay says.

Tumay took long service leave from her job to help get the kids settled into their new home and schools. When they were moving, she noticed that Tom was more tired than usual and had lost some weight.

“There was an answer for most of his symptoms; it was winter, we had just moved, he is on medication for his ADHD et cetera”. We went to the doctors a few times, and they just sent him home.

“I kept saying somethings not right, he is this crazy energetic little kid.”

After a few more weeks at home, Tom still wasn’t getting better. He started to get a sore shoulder and had started having some headaches and vomiting. After a few GP appointments they finally got a referral to the hospital to have some blood tests. Seeing that Tom’s shoulder was inflamed and combined with a fever, he was given some high-dose antibiotics, and they went home to wait for the results.

A few days later, Tom deteriorated significantly. Troy found Tom vomiting in the bathroom and placed him into the shower to freshen up and rest for a moment. Minutes later, whilst laying down in the shower and barely able to move, Tom admitted that his entire body ached and all of his joints were hurting. It was then that we thought something was seriously wrong.

Later that day, Tumay was able to meet Troy and Tom at the hospital. After running numerous painful blood tests that, the paediatric doctor came to tell them that they were not sure but there were strong markers for blood cancer or leukaemia and they were going to be transferred to the Monash Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.

“I quickly came home and packed some stuff just randomly in complete shock. Then we went in an ambulance to Traralgon and spent a couple days in accident and emergency before being transferred to Monash Children’s Hospital. I had barely slept, my body was just in survival mode.”

Troy had gone back to their house to pack some stuff and organise for someone to look after Sienna.

“Tom and I left in an ambulance, and we didn’t come back for nearly two months. My poor little girl, Sienna, went back to New South Wales. My cousin flew down and took her back up there. Things were pretty scary in the beginning. We didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Troy panic packed what he thought they might need before driving over two and a half hours to Monash Children’s Hospital. He arrived so heavily laden with bags that Tumay almost laughed.

“He rocked up the emergency room with a mega suitcase and a plastic tub, like we’re going to trek Europe for a month. He packed me all these winter jumpers, a beach sarong and a Sir Winston Church book, just some light reading. It’s hilarious. He just didn’t know what to do.”

When they were transferred to the oncology ward, Tom had to receive a blood transfusion immediately and was placed on two broad-spectrum antibiotics to try and treat the growing infection in his shoulder.

“The first few weeks were really scary. They put a central line in his chest, and he just hated it. Then they did a bone marrow aspiration and that’s when they said it was B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He was so sick, just skin and bone. He couldn’t walk and was in a wheelchair. Then the chemo started.”

Tom also lives with mild autism and in the beginning, Tumay decided not to tell him about his diagnosis, giving him a minute to adjust to all the changes before they brought up the ‘C’ word. With the support of Troy and the Camp Quality Child Life Therapist, Tumay guided Tom through the initial procedures.

“It has been a lot of hard work from all the medical staff. The Child Life Therapist came in with their little buzzy toys and helped to talk about how we could get Tom to go under the general anesthetic.”

When Tumay felt that it was time to tell Tom about his diagnosis, she had the oncologist come in with her to help her.

“I told him, ‘You’re not well, and we know what it is. It’s something called leukaemia.’ He said to me, ‘there’s another word for it that starts with C, I’ve got cancer.’ And I was like, oh my gosh. He already knew. After that, I just tried to focus on the positives. I told him that he’s healing, and I would never ever give up on him.”

Tumay says that every procedure was incredibly traumatic and painful for Tom, and she knew from the moment they arrived at the hospital that she would need to be his advocate.

“I made it very, very clear that Thomas was not to be held down, that he was to come to agreement with all the treatment if it took four hours to access his port. Well, it took four hours to access his port. I think he deserved to know what was happening to him. I told him, ‘You’re not in control of your body right now, I get that, but you are in control of your mind and the way you’re thinking.’ He would ask the doctors what they’re giving him. He asked them how much blood they’re taking. He’d tell them to do it slowly. He knows every step of the way that he gets to be in control of his own mind and try to make the decisions.”

One of the coping tools that they found the most helpful was Tom’s toy puppet cow, named ‘Mooie’. Almost 15 years ago, before they had kids and were living in Perth, Tumay had worked part time as a Camp Quality puppeteer. She knew the impact that puppets could have on a kid’s confidence and emotions and gave Tom his own puppet.

“I told the medical team not to talk directly to Tom and to ‘ask Mooie.’ That really worked. Mooie’s been there through all of it. Mooie’s only got one eye. Now Mooie goes to school and really, Mooie goes everywhere. I really believe in the power of puppets.”

Two months after his initial diagnosis, Tom transitioned into maintenance treatment and was finally able to go home. Tumay found some books, ‘Joe has Leukeamia’ and ‘I love somebody with Cancer’, that she used to tell her 5-year-old daughter Sienna about Tom’s diagnosis.

“I found it beneficial, reading to Sienna and then just letting her come up with the questions. She’s been amazing and has become Tom’s number one supporter. She still says to me, ‘Does Tom still have leukemia and is it going to come back?’ I always just try to talk openly and honestly. I say that all these medicines that he must take, they’re like little soldiers going in to fight the naughty ones in there.”

When the family was settled back at home and were able to plan further ahead than the next few hours, Tumay started thinking about what support services she could access. Having worked for Camp Quality in the past, she decided to register the family.

They received a call from Camp Quality to say a spot had become available at the last minute for a Family Camp in Ballarat, on a weekend when Troy was home. Without thinking too much about it, Tumay had the kids and Troy packed and in the car.

“It was so nice because you turn up and they just had thought of everything. We arrived and there was pizza and a trivia night. There were so many activities and crafts, which Sienna loved. All of the Camp Quality volunteers are incredible. They are just aware and in tune. They can see if someone’s not comfortable and they come and try and involve them.”

Tom was really nervous to meet all the other kids and stuck close to Tumay and Troy. They were not sure if they could attend the parents-only activity until one of the volunteers helped Tom get involved in the games and craft.

“It was amazing, we got to go on that parents’ lunch and connect with other parents. We’ve made some beautiful friendships.”

The following year, Tumay and the kids were able to go on another Family Camp to Phillip Island.

“It was just incredible. At the surfing lessons, being able to see Tom, just for a minute, forget everything. Playing and laughing and just being a child with not a care in the world. You just feel like you are stealing their childhood. But then on camp, he got to go down to the beach, put on a wetsuit and get in the ocean. It was just awesome.”

Tumay says that in the beginning of treatment, there was such a big focus on keeping Tom away from dirt, not letting him go in the sun. Keeping him safe.

Tumay felt confident and safe leaving Tom and Sienna with the volunteers for the kids-only day.

“I got to go off for an entire day. I got a massage and went for a big walk. The kids stayed and did all the activities. You know they’re safe because there’s doctors and staff there. It’s just incredible. Camp Quality is incredible.”

Tom has always loved trucks and enjoys hearing stories his mum tells him about her work as a mining operator. He was so excited when the family was invited to attend one of the Camp Quality trucking fundraisers, Convoy Geelong.

“Tom is a certified truck nut! He truly knows everything there is to know about trucks, and throughout his entire chemo journey his lucky charm was a Kenworth truck badge that went everywhere with him.”

“He was lucky enough to be one of the judges for the kid’s choice award at Camp Quality Convoy. All he wants to do is be a Truck Driver when we grows up. One day, he wants to drive the lead truck in the convoy! On of the Convoy organisers, Nigel, presented Tom with a Kenworth plush toy that now comes everywhere! It even went away on his solo camp with him.”

Tom attended his first Camp Quality Kids’ Camp a few months later. Tumay wasn’t sure how the camp would go after Tom had struggled on his school camp they went to together the year before. She says that he was stressed the whole time, worrying about his chemotherapy port and didn’t want to participate in any of the activities.

“The volunteers came with a bus and picked him up. He left as an anxious little boy and came back full of confidence as a little preteen. It was just so great that I cried when he got home. He said that nobody knew who had been through the treatment or who the siblings were. He literally just got to go there and be a kid. He did craft and the chair swing.”

In January 2026, Tom finished treatment and rand the celebratory bell with his family. Tumay says that it is a memory they will cherish forever and it means so much to see that he is doing so well now.

Tom and Troy went to Convoy Geelong a few months later. Now off treatment, Tom was feeling stronger than last year and loved walking around all the trucks. One of the Truck drivers, Dale, offered Tom a spot in his truck for the convoy.