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Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Bronwyn’s story

2 min read 29 September 2025

For Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2025, we acknowledge the lived experiences of children and families who have been affected by cancer and are honoured to share the story of Bronwyn and her childhood cancer journey.

While lifesaving cancer research has allowed more children to survive cancer, there is much work to be done to develop new treatment approaches for these children. Many children will experience severe, damaging and sometimes lifelong side effects. This was the case for Bronwyn, who was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was eight years old.

Bronwyn’s story started when she started getting ‘shocking’ headaches in primary school. At first, doctors thought these might have been childhood migraines. However, Bronwyn’s headaches only became worse and worse. She was taken to hospital for further tests. Eventually, a scan revealed that Bronwyn had a tumour the size of a golf ball in her brain.

Bronwyn remembers​​ feeling confused at the time of her diagnosis.

“It was scary because I had no idea what was going on.

“My mum and dad told me that I was getting headaches because I had cancer in my head, and was going to need to stay in hospital for a while.”

Almost a year of treatment then followed. Bronwyn undertook extensive radiotherapy at Peter Mac, alongside undergoing surgery and chemotherapy at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

The treatment was fortunately successful, saving Bronwyn’s life. However, she experienced multiple harsh side effects, many of which were long-lasting – some, lifelong. Among these were permanent hair loss, hormone deficiencies, double-vision, hearing loss and spine conditions that ​​required surgery many years after Bronwyn had completed treatment.

“It was quite difficult for me, dealing with fatigue and nausea, trying to get up every day. I would throw up most mornings and that just lasted for years.

“I kind of fell behind with growth – my bones didn’t grow properly. So, I’m a bit shorter than what I might have been originally.”

The challenges didn’t stop with the physical side effects. As Bronwyn navigated primary school and high school, she remembers the feelings of social isolation that she carried along the way.

“I isolated myself at school, and part of that was fear of judgment.

“In primary school, everyone knew me as the kid who had cancer. When I got to high school, it was a fresh start, but at that point I’d gotten a wig, and I was terrified that people would find out that I was wearing a wig.”

Bronwyn credits her parents, who were “always there throughout my treatment”, for helping her get through her cancer. Another thing that kept Bronwyn going throughout these experiences was her creativity. Having always enjoyed using her hands, she recalls drawing cartoons about the fish tanks she saw in hospital. After finishing high school, she went on to study graphic design, and happily takes up any craft she can – knitting, sewing and sculpture are just some of the creative hobbies she ​​enjoys.

While Bronwyn is thankful that she survived childhood cancer, her story highlights a crucial need for new, gentler treatments for children’s cancers.

“I'm alive today thanks to everyone at the hospital, and I'll forever be grateful for that. I had amazing support through all my treatment, which I know is possible thanks to funding for helping cancer patients like me.

“The treatments I received saved my life, and I know funding and research is crucial to keeping it going.”

Supporter generosity is essential for developing kinder cancer treatments that both save lives and cause fewer side effects. Thank you for supporting a better future for everyone with cancer.