It started with tiny tremors — barely noticeable at first.
Then came the vomiting, the fatigue, the fading spark.
Within days, Sarah and Jay’s bright, fearless two-year-old was fighting for her life.

Scans revealed a massive brain tumour, rare and aggressive — one of only a handful of known cases in the world.
Emily endured three major brain surgeries before her third birthday.
Each time, doctors warned of risks — paralysis, speech loss, worse.
But every time, she woke up smiling, singing, defying every prediction.

Now, Emily is preparing for proton radiation therapy — the next step in her fight.
Her laughter still fills every room, her courage shining brighter than ever.

Because Emily’s story isn’t just about survival.
It’s about love, faith, and the unstoppable spirit of a little girl who refuses to give up.

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Emily’s Fight — The Little Girl With the Rare Tumour That Changed Everything

Emily’s Fight — The Little Girl With the Rare Tumour That Changed Everything

Before everything changed, Emily was a bright, fearless two-year-old — the kind of child who filled every corner of the house with laughter.


She loved dressing up as a princess one minute and running barefoot through the garden the next.
Her parents, Sarah and Jay, often said she was “sunshine in motion.”
With her baby sister Sophie by her side, life felt whole — simple, happy, and full of promise.

“Everything was going really, really well,” Sarah remembers. “It was such a happy time for us.”

Subtle Signs

It started with something small — tiny shakes when Emily woke up from sleep.


They lasted only seconds, then disappeared as quickly as they came.

“We thought she was cold,” Sarah says now. “In hindsight, it was a sign. But we just didn’t know.”

A few weeks later, the shakes began happening at random times. Emily also seemed sleepier, going to bed earlier than usual. When she started vomiting, Sarah took her to their GP.


A test suggested a mild cold, and the explanation made sense.

“None of these things were screaming something’s wrong,” Sarah says.

But by the end of that week, the trembling grew worse. At daycare, teachers told Sarah they’d never seen anything like it before. Alarmed, she visited another GP — only to be told not to worry unless Emily lost coordination.

Two days later, that happened.
Emily tried to feed herself, but her tiny hand trembled uncontrollably. Sarah didn’t hesitate. She bundled Emily into the car and drove to the hospital.

Desperate for Answers

At the local hospital, staff ran basic checks.
Then came words that haunt Sarah even now:
“Take her home. Bring her back only if she can’t look after herself.”

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“I kind of just let them tell me what I wanted to hear,” Sarah says. “I thought, I’ve been to two doctors, I’ve come to the hospital — everyone’s saying she’s fine.”

The next morning, Emily refused to eat her favourite food — waffles.
That was the moment Sarah knew.
She and Jay took her straight to the Children’s Hospital.

On the way, Emily vomited again.

“When we arrived, I broke down at triage,” Sarah says.
“I just cried and said, ‘Please do something. Anything. This isn’t normal.’”

Doctors in Emergency called Neurology immediately.
After an overnight stay and a series of tests, Emily was sent for an MRI the next afternoon.


By then, she was listless — barely awake, no appetite, just fading before their eyes.

The Diagnosis That Shattered Their World

Two hours later, as Sarah and Jay prepared to see their daughter, a neurosurgeon appeared.

“He sat us down,” Sarah recalls, “and said, ‘We’ve discovered a major brain tumour.’”

The tumour was huge — larger than a golf ball, nearly the size of an avocado.


“When you looked at the scan, her whole brain was just smushed to one side,” Sarah says quietly.

Emily needed surgery immediately to relieve pressure on her brain. The doctors warned there was a risk she could lose movement on the left side of her body.

The operation lasted hours.
When Sarah and Jay were finally allowed to see her, they braced for the worst.
But there was Emily — groggy yet smiling, humming songs, talking about her friends.

“She was crawling on the bed,” Sarah says, smiling faintly. “It was unbelievable.”

Recovery and the First Glimmer of Hope

In the days that followed, Emily’s face swelled from the surgery. She couldn’t open her eyes for several days and was often in pain. But once home, her spark returned quickly.

A biopsy confirmed what every parent fears: cancer.

Emily was enrolled in the Zero Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO), which studies each child’s tumour to find the most precise treatment.


The results showed she had an extremely rare and aggressive form of brain cancer — fewer than 20 known cases worldwide.

The Second Surgery

Doctors decided that the best chance for Emily was another surgery to remove the rest of the tumour.
This time, Sarah and Jay were terrified.

“With the first surgery, she was unresponsive,” Sarah says. “We had nothing to lose. But now she was a happy, active little girl — and we were sending her back in.”

Once again, surgeons warned that Emily could lose movement or speech.
But when the operation ended, Emily woke up moving both arms and legs — and by the next morning, she was singing again.

Then came the miracle words from her neurosurgeon:

“Sarah, we got it all. Emily has no cancer. No tumour. We got everything.”

Sarah and Jay cried tears of pure relief.
“It was the best news of our lives,” Sarah says.

Reality Returns

That euphoria didn’t last long.
Soon after, Emily’s oncologists began discussing proton radiation therapy, available only in the United States.

Sarah was shocked. “We thought since they got the whole tumour, she wouldn’t need any more treatment,” she says. “It was like being slammed back to reality.”

Doctors explained the concern: microscopic cancer cells could remain and spread down the spine. Radiation could prevent that — but it came at a cost.

Emily would need six weeks of daily radiation, each session requiring general anaesthesia.
And worse, there was a near-certainty it would hinder her brain development long-term.

“I asked if she’d still be able to live independently one day — have a job, a family. They said, ‘We don’t know.’”

Sarah’s heart sank.
“I didn’t want a child with cancer,” she says, “but I also didn’t want to sacrifice her future.”

A Twist of Fate — and a New Plan

Just as the family prepared to fly to the U.S. for radiation, new results arrived from ZERO.
The tumour, they learned, wasn’t what doctors originally thought. It was rarer — and in known cases, it usually recurred in the same spot, not elsewhere.

That changed everything.
After intense discussions, the team decided to defer radiation and monitor Emily instead.

“Given her age, radiotherapy would have had devastating consequences,” Sarah explains. “We wanted to give her brain time to grow — and hope the tumour never came back.”

The Return

For six beautiful months, life felt normal again. Emily laughed, played, climbed trees, and chased butterflies.
But in April 2025, a routine scan brought devastating news: the tumour had returned.

“It was small and in the same spot — thank God it hadn’t spread,” Sarah says.

Within two weeks, Emily underwent her third brain surgery.
Once again, she amazed everyone.
The day after surgery, she was running and climbing.

“She was discharged after just 48 hours,” Sarah says. “We even spent Mother’s Day at home together.”

But now, there was no avoiding it — Emily needed radiation.

“We always knew this day might come,” Sarah says softly. “We just hoped it would be years away.”

The Road Ahead

As of May 2025, Emily is preparing for proton radiation therapy in the U.S.
She’ll begin treatment in July — the same month she turns three.

“The thought of it terrifies me,” Sarah admits. “But we’re holding on to hope.”

For now, Emily is thriving — cheeky, funny, full of energy.
She climbs everything, giggles constantly, and lights up every room she enters.

“If it weren’t for ZERO,” Sarah says, “she’d have had radiation months ago, when her brain was still developing. That would have changed her life forever.”

Now, they hope that because she’s older, the treatment’s impact will be smaller — and her future a little brighter.

A Mother’s Promise

Sarah and Jay know the road ahead is long, but they refuse to let fear steal their joy.

“Emily is thriving and living her best life as a cheeky two-year-old,” Sarah says. “We’re so grateful she’s had this time to just be a kid.”

When asked what gives her strength, Sarah doesn’t hesitate.
“Emily does,” she says. “She’s fearless. After everything, she still laughs louder than anyone.”

Their home is once again filled with laughter — cautious, fragile, but beautiful.
Because no matter what lies ahead, Emily’s spirit is unbreakable.

Emily’s story is one of hope born from heartbreak — proof that even when the odds are small, love and courage can be stronger still.