Brave little Aussie battler

This brave little girl has endured 70 operations to fight a cancer no one her age has ever been diagnosed with in Australia

For Melbourne mum Megan Hoppe, the box of hair bows her mother gave her with her daughter Amelia’s name emblazoned on them meant more than words could say.

As a mum, Megan had longed to do her eldest girl’s hair, but sadly, Amelia had none – after countless rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. The four-year-old has been fighting advanced vaginal cancer from the tender age of two.

“When Amelia lost her hair, it made the cancer a reality, and I couldn’t wait for the day it grew back,” explains Megan. “Her hair was such a symbol of her recovery, so the day my mum bought me this box of bows meant the world to me. My little girl was back to looking like a little girl her age should.”

RARE DISEASE

To say Amelia has been through a hell no child should have to endure is an understatement. But through all 70 general anaesthetics, chemotherapy, scans and external and internal radiotherapy, her parents Megan and Benn, both 37, have been by their little girl’s side.

Only the fifth case of this type of vaginal cancer detected in Australia, Amelia is the youngest

to have contracted the insidious disease, which grew in the soft tissues of her vaginal wall.

Suspecting it was just a rash at first, it took several visits to different doctors before the disease was diagnosed, putting the family on a “rollercoaster ride” that hasn’t yet come to a full stop. But it has come to a pause – for now, anyway.

STUCK IN LIMBO

“We are in a limbo stage at the moment between treatment and remission,” Megan explains. “We have another check-up this month then every three months after. Next year it will be every six months and then once a year until we hit the vital five-year mark. But for now, we are just enjoying being a normal family again.”

When Woman’s Day visited the Hoppe home for the first time since Amelia started her treatment, there was little sign she had ever been sick. The sweet-natured girl, who the family call Milly, plays happily with her cheeky two-year-old sister Eve, and their identical dolls, both named Rosie.

SAME TREATMENT

“It has been hard for Eve as she was a just baby when Milly was diagnosed,” Megan explains. “Benn and I decided from the outset that we would be there as a team for Milly, every scan, every procedure, every checkup. As a result, Eve didn’t get as much attention as we would have liked to give her. Hopefully now that can change and the girls can be treated the same way.”

Part of the Hoppes’ strategy is that they have never used the word d “sick” “i k” to t describe Milly. From the outset they have told her she has cancer, explaining every gruelling step along the way.

“Milly is a very aware little girl so we have never lied to her. If she asks if something will hurt we tell her that yes, it probably will, but it will be over quickly,” Megan explains.

“She has been incredible though, never really complaining about the procedures – only the fact she wants to be home playing.”

While the Hoppe family might have respite from treatment should they continue to get all-clear results, Amelia will have to face another round of surgeries when she turns 13, this time to restore her vagina, which has collapsed due to the internal chemo. Then, of course, there is puberty to get through before she becomes a woman.

“We don’t know if Milly’s uterus will be able to hold a baby if and when she chooses to have one,” Megan explains.

“Regardless, we made the decision to have a third of her ovary sliced into 33 pieces and frozen before she began chemo. We hope between now and the time she may want to become a mother that there will have been much more successful research into making this possible.

“It is so important to us that cancer doesn’t define Amelia or us as a family.”

A CHANCE TO BE A KID

As if on cue, Amelia picks up her dolly Rosie with one hand and holds her little sister Eve’s with the other and they both start dancing.

It is a sight of pure joy that is only broken by Amelia pointing out the pretty bow in her hair.

“It’s pink!” she says, swaying and swishing. “And mine is blue!” Eve adds proudly.

And for the first time in a long time, both Hoppe girls really are the same.

‘It’s so important to us cancer doesn’t define Amelia’

Amelia (left, with her favourite doll Rosie) was diagnosed with cancer when she was just two.

Save The Box is a campaign that raises awareness and funds for vaginal cancers. Visit savethebox.org.au to donate. Mum Megan says she was upfront with her daughter about her illness. With her bestie, younger sister Eve.