A seven-year-old Derwent Park girl is undergoing radiation treatment in Melbourne after being diagnosed with brain cancer, with her family appealing for help to cover mounting travel and medical costs.
Trista Dale said her daughter Kahlani was diagnosed in April with a cancerous brain tumour on her cerebellum after what the family initially thought was simple clumsiness turned into alarming changes in her balance and movement.
Kahlani began stumbling more than usual, with the problem escalating to the point her school contacted the family.
“She had like bruises all over her legs and would kind of like act like a drunk person, I guess you could say,” Dale said.
At first, doctors suspected an ear infection and initial blood tests did not provide answers.
It was not until a visit to an after-hours doctor in Hobart’s northern suburbs that the family was told to take Kahlani straight to hospital, where a CT scan revealed the tumour.
“They put her straight on a ward and did a CT scan, and that’s when they knew what it was,” Dale said.
Kahlani has since undergone surgery to remove the tumour and has been receiving radiation treatment in Melbourne for around two and a half weeks.
She has recently begun losing her hair as a result of treatment.
After six weeks of radiation, the family will return to Tasmania for a short break before Kahlani begins chemotherapy.
Dale said the family of five has set up a MyCause fundraising page to help cover travel, treatment and future schooling costs, with Kahlani expected to miss a significant amount of school.
“We just obviously want to give Kahlani the best possible result that we can,” she said.
Despite the gruelling treatment, Dale said her daughter has shown remarkable courage, staying awake during radiation sessions and listening to music instead of being anaesthetised like most children.
Her playlist includes Creedence Clearwater Revival and Australian hip hop group Bliss N Eso.
“She just listens to music and gets on with it,” Dale said.
Dale is urging people to share the fundraising page, even if they are unable to donate, saying the family’s support network is small.
www.mycause.com.au/page/396967/kure-for-kahlani.
