A young Singleton boy is preparing for the most difficult fight of his life as he enters Westmead Children's Hospital for intensive cancer treatment this weekend.
A Family's Courageous Battle
Sullivan Hurn, affectionately known as Sully to his family and friends, has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma. The four-year-old will be admitted to hospital on Saturday for what his mother Grace describes as "the biggest challenge of his short and precious life".
"He'll be put in a medically induced coma for up to a week while undergoing surgery and brachytherapy radiation treatment," Grace Hurn explained. The medical team hopes this aggressive approach will remove what remains of the tumour that has attached itself to Sully's prostate, bladder, and kidneys.
The Journey So Far
Sully's cancer journey began in March when he received his diagnosis. Since then, the brave youngster has endured six months of chemotherapy that has achieved what doctors hoped it would. Despite the challenging treatment, his mother says Sully has shown remarkable resilience.
"Sully just copes. He goes along with it," Grace shared. "He's quite shy and has only just started talking to a couple of the nurses and doctors. He just knows we've got to do this. He's a little trooper - so cheeky, clever and funny."
The family has nicknamed their son "brave like a lion", reflecting his favourite animal and his courageous spirit throughout this ordeal.
Family Strength and Community Support
The cancer battle has placed significant strain on the Hurn family, which includes Sully's six-year-old brother George and one-year-old sister Audrey. Grace and her husband Jack have been navigating this difficult journey one day at a time.
"It's been a nightmare trying to juggle everything," Grace admitted. "Everyone asks how we keep doing this, but we have no choice. We just do it. It's the strength, support and love between Jack and I and everybody around us that keeps us going."
Friend Sheridan Morton has organised a GoFundMe campaign called "Sunshine for Sully" to raise money for a family trip to Sea World on the Gold Coast once Sully is well enough to travel.
"The idea of the holiday was to try to make this week at Westmead more positive and give them something to look forward to," Sheridan explained. "I'd love for Sully to wake up to the news that, as soon as he is up for it, they'll all have a wonderful holiday."
The Hurn family has been overwhelmed by the support from both friends and strangers. "We're feeling extremely grateful to our family, friends and strangers who have donated. It's blown us away," Grace said.
Giving Back Despite Challenges
Even while facing their own struggles, the Hurn family has found ways to support other families dealing with childhood cancer. They recently raised $33,000 for Camp Quality through a walking challenge during September, with many family and friends joining their team.
Additionally, the family participated in Bandana Day on October 30, raising a further $13,000 to support young people with cancer.
Sully receives support from a child life therapist at John Hunter Children's Hospital, which is funded through Camp Quality. "The John Hunter staff are amazing," Grace said. "Our social worker and child life therapist have been helping our whole family. It's been nice for all of us to have those familiar faces."
As Sully prepares for his treatment at Westmead, the family faces the challenge of adapting to a new hospital environment. "The daunting thing about going to Westmead is we've never been there and don't know the doctors or nurses," Grace acknowledged.
The entire community continues to rally behind Sully and his family as they face this critical phase of his treatment with hope and determination.
