A smile ... that’s just her style

LITTLE Eleanor Oakley is fighting a deadly disease — but that ever-present smile belies her battle and inspires mum and dad Rob and Jacqui.

Two-year-old Eleanor was diagnosed in January with neuroblastoma, forcing the Oakleys to uproot from Montagu Bay and move to Melbourne for Eleanor to receive treatment at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

TWO-YEAR-OLD Tasmanian Eleanor Oakley is fighting a deadly disease, but an everpresent smile belies her battle.

Eleanor and parents Rob and Jacqui had their world turned upside down in January when Eleanor was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer occurring most commonly in children under five.

Mr and Mrs Oakley put their careers on hold as the family uprooted from Montagu Bay and moved to Melbourne for Eleanor to receive treatment at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Mr Oakley said Eleanor had been “absolutely amazing” in the face of terrible hardship.

“She just inspires us every day,” Mr Oakley said.

“We’ve been in the system for nine months now … it’s really brutal, the treatment.

“In order to treat cancer, they have to throw everything at them, and, Eleanor, she goes into hospital with a big ear-toear smile, waving at the nurses as she’s going through.

“They absolutely love her, and it just brings a smile to our faces, knowing that she’s going through all this — I mean, how can we be so upset when she’s in some parts having a great time.”

Mr Oakley said Eleanor was just a normal child who loves “to do things that kids do”.

“I know she’s certainly had some really low times, but she just loves being around her family and loves playing,” he said.

The ordeal started when Eleanor exhibited fever-like symptoms in early January.

Mr and Mrs Oakley were recommended by a doctor to go to the emergency department, which they ended up visiting four times over the course of a week.

Mr Oakley said an ultrasound showed a very large tumour in her right lower abdomen surrounding her right kidney.

Eleanor had an 8½-hour operation to remove her right kidney, while three cancerous lymph nodes around the kidney were also removed.

Eleanor developed some severe complications with her lungs from the high dose chemotherapy and was admitted to ICU where she was on breathing life support for about eight days.

“She was pretty close to dying,” Mr Oakley said.