Jul, 2025
Three Years Old and Facing the Unimaginable, Sam’s fight for life.
It came without warning.
And turned the next two years upside down.
The fight had begun, and an endless list of questions remained.
“What is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia?”
“He’s only three! How could this be happening?”
“Will he survive?”
“What does this mean for him?”
Sam, usually bright and full of chatter, was suddenly not himself. A little more tired. A few bruises that didn’t quite make sense and an ongoing virus he couldn’t shake. His mum, Candace, told herself not to overthink it. She clung to the idea it was just a stubborn daycare bug or the usual playground knocks of a three-year-old boy. But the signs wouldn’t leave her alone. Her mother’s intuition told her something wasn’t right.
Uneasy, she turned to her father-in-law, a retired doctor. One glance at Sam, and his words shattered her fragile optimism: “Get blood tests. Now.”
Within days, Sam was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
“We were blindsided,” Candace recalls. “There was no family history of cancer, and it hadn’t even been a consideration. But there we were in a hospital room being told our little boy had leukaemia. Nothing can prepare you for that moment.”
What followed was a whirlwind. Scans, blood tests and treatment plans. Amid the chaos, one key piece of information became her lifeline.
Sam’s world was turned upside down, and his life went from playgrounds to hospitals.
“They told us there was a high survival rate for Sam’s type of leukaemia. I held onto that with everything I had. We just had to get him through it.”
Sam’s life-saving team at Gold Coast University Hospital, Professor Susan Maloney, Clinical Nurse Consultants Liz Smith and Nurse Practitioner Michelle Noyes, quickly became like family.
The first six months were relentless. Sam was visiting two hospitals and undergoing a series of weekly lumbar punctures under general anaesthetic, along with endless blood tests. To spare him the pain of repeated cannulas for each treatment, Sam had surgery to insert a Port-a-Cath, a small device placed beneath his skin that is connected to a vein near his heart, allowing easier access for his treatments.
He endured rounds of chemotherapy and strong medications that left him nauseous and vomiting. Sam’s little body became exhausted and, he began to look almost unrecognisable.
Sadly, all of this was necessary to give Sam the best chance of survival and unfortunately something he had to endure. Something a three-year old should never have to experience.
Sam still managing a smile, despite the toll the steroids and chemotherapy were taking on his little body
For a child so young, the medical language was so foreign, but the countless needles and procedures were all too real. Children’s Oncology Nurses Michelle and Liz did their best to help Sam navigate his new normal by describing painful procedures as “ouchies” and making each hospital visit as fun as possible, with games and toys from the “Bravery Box” donated by the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation.
“It’s very difficult for children Sam’s age to understand why they need frequent needles,” Liz explained. “We work together with the child and family to make it less scary, and to build trust.”
“Thanks to the generous support of Scrub Up September and donations to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation we can enhance patient experiences. Whether it’s through welcoming décor, specialised medical equipment, like the Airvo 3 respiratory support device, the mobile ECMO service vehicle or a simple toy to distract a child from a painful procedure, these touches can turn a hospital stay from daunting to comforting and make all the difference.” Michelle said. “Every patient and their family’s needs are different when they enter the hospital, and these vital services can enhance their overall experience during a time of need. For little patients like Sam and his mum Candace, it can truly make a life-saving impact.”
Candace is so grateful for the donations to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation that supported Sam through his cancer journey
In Children’s Outpatients, one of the most loved spaces is a vibrant beachside mural designed by local artist Simon McLean. Created through a generous donation to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation, and in partnership with Gold Coast Health’s Children’s Ambulatory Care Unit, this space is a symbol of completing a child’s cancer treatment.
At its heart hangs the end-of-treatment bell. For children and their families, ringing it marks the end of a long and often very challenging journey. They leave their mark in precious scribbly letters, often alongside the date of their final chemotherapy, a simple but powerful reminder of the strength it took to get there.
“Children walk past that bell throughout their chemo treatment,” Michelle said. “Children see the names, the drawings, the messages left by others. It gives them something to look forward to. It’s these generous acts, made possible through donations, that creates something immeasurable, but for the patients and families living through it, it means everything.”
This wall represents the strength and courage shown by each child, their siblings, parents and extended family during their cancer experience.
When the day came for Sam to finally ring that bell, Candace’s heart felt like it might burst. Her son was one of the lucky ones. He had survived childhood cancer.
“I couldn’t hold back the tears,” she said. “Watching Sam ring that bell, surrounded by our friends, family, and the hospital staff who’d stood by us, felt like breathing again after holding my breath for years. It was pure relief, one of the greatest days of my life.”
For Candace, the gratitude runs deep, for the hospital teams, for the care, and for the generous donations to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation that makes moments like this possible.
“We are so grateful for donations to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation. With them, children like Sam can have access to medical equipment and enhanced spaces that helps change outcomes. It makes a meaningful difference during a chaotic and stressful situation. I encourage everyone to dig deep and donate; you can be the difference no matter how big or small of a donation.”
Sam rang the bell surrounded by family, friends and the hospital team that supported him
Every day, children face unexpected health battles. For some, it is the fight of their lives. As a charity, the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation is dedicated to supporting children, adults, and families facing the heartache and stress of critical health challenges, by funding life-saving medical equipment, vital support services, research programs and transforming hospital spaces – making a difference for when it truly matters.
For Sam, the warm welcoming Children’s Outpatients, Inpatient’s Ward, and the toys he chose from the Bravery Box brought light to even the hardest days of his two-year cancer journey. On that final day, when Sam rang the bell and signed his name on the end-of-treatment wall, he joined the community of Gold Coast children whose stories are written, celebrated and remembered there.
This September, when you buy a $3, $5, or $10 heart token at participating local retailers like Earth Markets or selected Chempro Chemists, you’re helping ensure patients like Sam have access to the best possible health care when it is needed most.