Just two days before his 15th birthday, Khan and his family received news that would forever change their lives. The family had to leave their two acres in Veteran and mother, Toni had to leave her mobile hairdressing business to be with Khan in Brisbane while he underwent treatment.
Khan was an extremely sporty boy, playing rugby union, rugby league and cricket, amongst also going to the gym. When he started to get pain in his leg, he didn’t want it to hold him back. Assuming the pain was caused by a stretched ACL, Toni and Gavin sent Khan to the physiotherapist hoping that stretches would relieve the pain. After visiting the physiotherapist, Khan was still in incredible pain and his leg started to swell. So, the family took Khan to see a GP, who sent him to hospital for an ultrasound and x-rays to discover the root of his pain.
Khan had a tumour that had impacted a third of his bone, he was forced to stop walking and required to use a wheelchair.
“Khan is up and down during treatment and sleeps through most of it.”
The journey has been extremely hard, watching from the sidelines as Khan receives his chemotherapy and undergoing numerous checks and appointments. Having free accommodation removed some of the financial burden from Khan’s family, as they were paying off a number of Khan’s essential scans. Thankfully, a family friend started a GoFundMe page to help Toni and Khan during this difficult time.
“It’s hard because all of our family is in our hometown. We don’t have anyone we know down here.”
Without the support of family, Childhood Cancer Support stepped in and provided Khan and his family with the emotional and essential housing support they needed. Khan and Toni have been staying with Childhood Cancer Support in South Brisbane while Khan receives treatment at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. Having the complimentary patient transport service has had a huge impact for Toni, who is unable to drive, and was relying on taxi services, which are challenging with Khan in a wheelchair.
Toni says that the best thing you can do as a parent of a child with cancer is to stay present with them, allow them to eat what they want, and keep them joking and looking forward to life after treatment. She said that things like Trish bringing them food, and the surprise presents that Childhood Cancer Support provided at Christmas have been stand out memories for the family.
“Having a support unit like this is extremely important for all the regional families that are going through this. It takes a worry away from us especially as we have so much worry on our minds.”
