Mum’s wish for bub
ALL Emily Kouimanis wants for Christmas is a bright future for her little girl.
“I never thought cancer could affect a baby this young,” the Coomera mum said of nine-week-old Violet, one of the youngest babies at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital to ever be diagnosed with ependymoma carcinoma, a rare brain cancer.
“I couldn’t believe it was happening to her.”
Emily and partner Liam Christensen’s ordeal began at Violet’s six-week check-up when doctors discovered her head had grown more than it should have.
Scans revealed she had a large amount of fluid on the brain and a 6cm tumour – extremely large for a child so young. A shunt has since been inserted to ease the fluid build-up but surgery remains too great a risk.
“They’re hoping chemo will shrink the tumour but there are no guarantees,” said 19-year-old Emily.
“She’s doing quite well considering what’s happening. I don’t think she’s in pain. She’s just a happy, little baby.”
Having spent the past few weeks by Violet’s hospital bedside, the couple had some joy this week when they were given permission to bring her home for Christmas.
“We’re looking forward to waking up with her at home,” Emily said.
The diagnosis caps a dramatic year for the couple, with Liam having spent time in a coma four months ago after a fall. While his recovery is progressing, he is yet to return to work.
“Their priority is Violet so the best thing I could do was try to raise some money to help them,” Matt Stephan said of the Go Fund Me campaign he has launched for his sister and partner.
“It’s hard to see your baby sister going through this. Having a little baby should be a joyous time, especially at this time of year.
“Emily loves children. She works in child care and all she wanted was a child of her own for so long. Now she’s having to deal with this added stress and pressure at her age.”
That said, she is up for the challenge.
“I can’t afford to break down,” Emily said. “The way I see it is I’ve got a responsibility as a mother to be there for my daughter.”