Eastment family pay tribute to little Marliah who lost her battle with leukaemia

A Bundaberg family has paid tribute to their beautiful baby girl less than two weeks after a rare illness claimed her life.

Natasha, Marliah, Jaxson, Isabella and Blayne Eastment in their final family photo with Marliah.

Marliah Eastment may have only been a year old, but the “most beautiful girl” left a big impression on all those who knew her.

Born on October 7, 2021, little Marliah was perfect.

She was the third child born to mum Natasha and Blayne, and a sister to Jaxson and Isabella.

“She was the most beautiful girl and always the most bright and bubbly baby,” Natasha said.

“Always had a smile on her face. She was always so cheeky. She was the strongest person I have ever met. She taught me how to be strong.”

The family’s joy at the birth of their second daughter would soon turn to heartbreak when they took her for a routine examination because she had some irritated skin.

A nurse examining her at Bundaberg’s Margaret Rose Centre realised the little girl’s lymph nodes were swollen in her groin, and she was sent straight to the emergency department.

“From there she was admitted and started having tests,” Natasha said.

Marliah was the perfect baby, says mum Natasha.

“Then she was sent home to wait on bloods. She had weekly bloods and check-ups in Bundaberg Hospital until at six weeks old we were called and told to come up.

“It was there that we were told she had a rare leukaemia - JMML (juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia).”

Marliah’s family went to Brisbane where medical staff carried out more tests to be sure. At around 11 weeks, the JMML diagnosis was confirmed.

“She went through more medical procedures in her one year of life then most adults do in their 80 years of life, and she took it like a champ,” Natasha said.

Marliah is deeply missed by all who knew her.

Marliah was a bright and happy baby despite her battle.

“She was just so amazing and so, so strong.”

Natasha said Marliah had never shown any signs of being unwell and it was by chance that the nurse had noticed the swollen lymph nodes.

From the start of January, the family started treated for Marliah for when she was just 11 and a half weeks.

“She had a week of chemotherapy, then twice a week doctors appointments for the rest of the month at the Queensland Children‘s Hospital in Brisbane,” Natasha said.

“From there it was one week of chemotherapy and three weeks off every month for six rounds of chemo, with twice-a-week check-ups in between.”

It was then Natasha moved to the Childhood Cancer Support centre in Brisbane while her two older children and husband remained in Bundaberg.

Doctors told the family the only cure for JMML was a stem cell transplant, and that would mean Marliah needed chemotherapy to get her big and strong enough for the transplant, and to keep the cancer at bay until then.

Marliah battled cancer bravely.

Marliah had a big smile and bubbly nature.

Tragically, while Marliah “kicked cancer’s butt” in the loving words of her mum, she would succumb to an illness known as graft vs host disease - a condition that occurs when donor bone marrow or stem cells attack the recipient.

On October 20, 2022, Marliah passed away in her mother’s arms, surrounded by her doting family.

“Life is so much harder without her,” Natasha said.

“I've never gone more than two days without her, so I’m constantly looking for her. I feel lost without her, it’s been just me and her for the past year, a part of me is missing.”

Her loss is equally as hard for her siblings, who can’t understand why their little sister is gone.

“Her brother and sister keep asking why it had to happen to us,” Natasha said.

“They miss her more than anything. We all miss her so so much. Life will never be the same again.

“The hardest part is walking in our house and seeing all of her things everywhere never to be used again.”

The family will never forget Marliah’s courageous spirit and smiley nature in the face of adversity.

“She used to do a snort to make us laugh all the time. It was our favourite thing,” Natasha said.

“Towards the end she developed a smile that she would show off her small three little bottom teeth and close her eyes. It was the most beautiful thing in the world.

“She would also sit up and nod her head ‘yeah’ all the time.

“Her favourite words were bubba, Mumma and Dadda.”

Marliah Jean Rose Eastment is lovingly remembered by parents Blayne and Natasha, grandparents Christine, Terry, Lisa and Peter, and her great-grandparents Barbara, Patrick, Joyce, Carolyn, Tom and Snowy. A loved sister of Jaxson and Isabella, and loved niece of Brody, Mitchell, Luke and Emma.

Relatives and friends of the family attended her funeral service on Monday, October 31, at Branyan Gardens.