Harper’s journey

When she was told of the diagnosis of a substantial tumour on her young daughter’s brain, WA mum Meagan “blanked out”. She remembers little of the conversation with the doctor, such was the shock of her daughter’s new reality.

But as that feeling began to wear off, Meagan started wondering if she should blame herself for five-year-old Harper’s illness.

“Is it because she fell off a swing when she was little?” Meagan recalls asking herself. “Is it because she hit her head? Why didn’t I find out sooner? Wasn’t I paying enough attention to my child?”

But in fact, Meagan had been absolutely aware that something was wrong, and for a long time had done everything in her power to find a solution.

The news no parent wants to hear

Harper underwent a CT scan, revealing a substantial mass on her brain. It wasn’t until after an 11-hour surgery at Perth Children’s Hospital that she was diagnosed with ependymoma, a fast-moving and aggressive tumour.

Fortunately, the growth, approximately 10 centimetres in diameter, was localised to one area of her brain.

“We found out the tumour was in the occipital lobe, where visual processing occurs. This explained why Harper was bumping into things and falling over during her clumsy moments,” Meagan explains.

Surgeons removed the entire tumour, but despite this, there's still a 70 percent chance of Harper's cancer returning.

“There was a chance that Harper’s eye-sight would improve once the fluid on her macular cleared up. But we’ve since been told that she is pretty much blind in the left eye and can only see minimal amounts – like shadows and outlines - in her right eye,” says Meagan.

Now six, Harper has returned to school. While exhausted at the end of each school day, she is loving being with her friends again, and teachers have adjusted lessons to accommodate her vision loss.

“Then we met Dr Nick Gottardo, who is a leader in children’s brain cancer research, and realised how fortunate we were to have him. He sent part of her tumour all around the world for testing, to make sure the treatment was as tailored as it could be.”

Read more: Paediatric oncologist Professor Nick Gottardo.

Since the diagnosis, Meagan has charted Harper’s progress on Facebook. The page, called ‘Harper’s Journey’, is a moving, informative and often humorous commentary on the harrowing trials and immense triumphs of a brave little girl. It’s part of Meagan’s larger quest to turn the spotlight on childhood cancer. 

By organising sausage sizzles, raffles and auctions, she has raised over $2,500 for kids’ cancer research. The more research she can fund, Meagan says, the better the results will be for children with brain cancers.