I was only 19 months old at the time, but according to mum and dad I had a very fat tummy, was barely walking and refusing to eat. Very unlike me! I was rushed to my GP who then referred me to another doctor, then another, all giving me a different diagnosis. Eventually I ended up in a Children's Hospital, which became my home for the next 6 months.

Being very young, I barely remember having any of the treatment. I remember thinking what a wonderful place hospital was, having all these people to talk to and toys to play with. If only it seemed like that now. My cancer had started in my kidney but by now it had started spreading. My oncologist told my parents without treatment I had little chance of survival, and with treatment, 50/50 chance so my parents went with treatment. I had the works; chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow transplant and surgery.

"And had all the gross side effects."

This was very stressful for mum and dad! After finishing treatment in April 1997 and given the all clear to leave hospital and go home, the transition back to normal life was very easy for me, seeing as I had little idea what had happened. I had been in and out of hospital for checkups and that and I didn't realise I was any different until 2005, in year 5.

I asked my dad why was I at the hospital so many times each year and he told me the best way he could, and I didn't believe him at first. I thought I was as "normal" as the other kids in my class. He then explained that’s why I couldn't play footy which I was really into back then, and that I would have to go to the hospital for the rest of my life! After that day,

"My perspective on life and myself, changed for the better."

With that my mind was in overdrive for the next couple of years, both good and bad thoughts, wondering if I will ever be ‘normal,’ will I get cancer again, and if I do, will I die. Sometimes I felt really bad, with the added issues of schoolwork and girls playing on my mind, I’ve had many sleepless nights, wondering if I was the only one like this and why me.

“I tried sharing with friends at school”

But no-one understood what I was going through or how I felt. Music was, and still is the biggest outlet for me. Listening to music and writing my own lyrics is a way of expressing myself freely, without limits. My parents signed me up for Camp Quality when I was still little, and by now I started to realise I wasn't the only one with cancer but it wasn't until I joined CanTeen last year that sharing similar stories and experiences with others my age is an amazing way to connect with people that actually understand, and are there for you at your best as well as when you’re at your worst.

“Right now I'm facing a new challenge.”

As a result of my treatment, my thyroid has a few nodules and they look like becoming benign tumors. Due to the radiation I had, it’s very likely that they could become malignant and I'm not taking any chances, so I'll have some form of treatment in the next few months. I don't have any feelings of shock or confusion like many people have told me they had when they found out. I'm just wanting this to be over and done with so I can finish my School Certificate.

Understanding that I had cancer, and will probably have again in the future, makes me appreciate the small things in life and that anything standing in my way is just a challenge for me to overcome :)