Little Logan Lindsay was just five months old when doctors removed a tumour the size of an orange from his brain.
Just weeks earlier he stopped rolling over and sitting up, and a growing lump on the side of his head told Casey and Tony something was very wrong with their youngest child.
“We thought initially that the plates in his head weren’t forming properly but it was the tumour actually pushing his skull,” Casey said.
They left their Calen farm to drive to Brisbane with their other children Paige, 4, and Zoe, 3, for a MRI that diagnosed a Stage 4 Primitive Neuro Ectodermal Tumours (PNET).
Doctors gave Logan a 10% change of surviving the aggressive tumour that was sitting behind his right ear, already the size of an orange or a lady’s first.
“That was the Tuesday and his first surgery was on the Friday where they were able to remove most but not all of the tumour,” Casey said.
Logan then developed hydrocephalus and needed a shunt to drain the fluid accumulating in his brain, as well as a central line to deliver chemotherapy directly into his bloodstream.
Two months and two rounds of chemo later the family received more devastating news. The remaining tumour had grown by 25% and on 16 March 2010 Logan had more surgery to remove the last of the cancer.
The family has been on ‘watch and wait’ since, initially driving to Brisbane each month for follow-up MRIs. The interval between scans has now been extended to once yearly and Logan can now fly safety.
The cancer and chemo have left him with hearing problems, seizures and vision loss in both eyes.
Fast forward almost nine years and Logan is in year 3 at Calen District State College.
“He’s crazy, opinionated, independent, energetic, very loving boy and he loves everyone. He can’t find any fault in anyone – it’s his greatest gift,” Casey laughs.
The Lindsay family is dedicated raising awareness and support and are ambassadors for Childhood Cancer Support in Mackay.
Casey reaches out to newly diagnosed families and organises several outings a year for local oncology families.
Talk Like A Pirate Day
This year they are selling $10 Pirate Packs for Talk Like A Pirate Day on 19 September to raise money for Childhood Cancer Support. Every child in hospital will also receive a free pack on Wednesday.
Childhood Cancer Support is an organisation that steps in to help rural Queensland families with accommodation and other support and Casey says they will forever be grateful to the charity.
“We moved in to a unit provided by Childhood Cancer Support on Christmas Eve 2009 and stayed with them the whole time we were in Brisbane.
“We continue to stay with them during yearly check-ups and they even pick us up from the airport. There’s no way you can afford to do anything without their support,” she said.
Logan and his sisters meet up with other oncology families at a yearly camp in Samford, Brisbane.
Casey said the accommodation support helped her family keep functioning during a difficult time, with Zoe able to start prep at the hospital school and Paige enrolled at a nearby kindy.
“Mum came down when Tony couldn’t be here – he had to keep working on the farm – so the accommodation support made this possible.”
Casey urged Mackay to support Talk Like A Pirate Day.
“I didn’t know about this charity until I needed it. Cancer comes with no warning – there’s no time to save or plan.
“We landed at their door step on Christmas Eve and they even had Christmas presents for the girls.”
Childhood cancer rates in Mackay
Paediatric Oncology Clinical Nurse Consultant Karen Caris has supported the Lindsay family since diagnoses.
An average of 10 children in Mackay HHS are diagnosed with cancer each year, aged from babies through to teens.
Karen is one of four nurses trained to deliver chemotherapy in Mackay, and they work closely with families.
All families travel to Brisbane for initial treatment, and depending on the type of cancer, some can have their care shared with Mackay Base Hospital.
“I act as a regional case manager to co-ordinate their care and help organise support for families while they are in Brisbane.
“If they are able to come back to Mackay for some of their treatment we can deliver that,” she said.
