South Burnett family’s GoFundMe for 5yo’s leukaemia battle

The distraught family of five-year-old Queensland boy has rallied around him as he fights an aggressive cancer that has left him unable to eat or drink except through a tube. See how you can help.

The distraught South Burnett family, of a brave five year old boy battling leukemia, are calling on the community’s support in their ongoing battle.

A South Burnett family living every parent’s worst nightmare has started a GoFundMe to help them make it financially through the battle to save their five-year-old son from aggressive leukaemia.

Lincoln Watters was diagnosed on August 23, 2022, just weeks after celebrating his birthday with family and friends at Australia Zoo.

The family of four had relocated from New South Wales to the South Burnett just nine months earlier, when Lincoln was a healthy, chirpy and dinosaur-loving little boy.

His grandfather, Tony Watters, said Lincoln loved life and was a happy little boy who would happily watch Jurassic Park on repeat.

“He’s very outgoing and Lincoln likes to do what Lincoln likes to do,” Mr Watters said.

“The first symptom was a high fever which carried on for two weeks, we visited the doctor and he was given Panadol.

“After a week of staying inside in bed he was covered in bruises and that’s when we rushed him to emergency.

“Within two hours, the Royal Flying Doctor helicopter flew Lincoln and his mum Morgan to the Queensland Children’s Hospital,” he said.

Lincoln's grandfather, Tony Watters, said Lincoln was very sick and once treatment started he had an allergic reaction to morphine and his entire body swelled up.

After many blood tests and a lumbar puncture, an invasive procedure to collect bone marrow cells, Lincoln’s Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia diagnosis was confirmed.

He and his mum moved into the Childhood Cancer Support accommodation in Brisbane and have been staying there since.

Mr Watters said Lincoln was very sick and once treatment started he had an allergic reaction to morphine and his entire body swelled up.

“They had to treat this reaction at the same time as his leukaemia,” Mr Watters said.

“At the end of the first cycle of treatment (30 days) it was confirmed that Lincoln was categorised as ‘high risk’, meaning he had a higher-than-average chance of relapse, than that of another child with his diagnosis.

“On the last day of his second round of treatment Lincoln’s fever spiked and he was admitted to hospital again.

“He had no immune system and three blood infections, he was very close to organ failure and for a while he was the sickest child in the hospital.

Lincoln and his mum Morgan spent Christmas Day 2022 in the Queensland Children's Hospital.

“At one stage he had nothing less than 10 IVs, with a tube for feeding the infection, which had affected his oesophagus right down to his anus,” Mr Watters said.

Lincoln is currently unable to eat or drink and is fed baby formula via a tube.

He will begin his next 12-week cycle of treatment on Tuesday.

Lincoln is expected to receive ongoing treatment for the next two years.

The Watter's family has set up a GoFundMe to help with costs of travel, parking, meals, medication and other general expenses to ease the financial burden while living on one income.

Mr Watters said all support was greatly appreciated and meant the world to his family.