Sunshine Coast girl Mya Boniface battling cystic fibrosis

A nine-year-old Sunshine Coast girl with a passion for sports and a competitive streak is determined to not let her cystic fibrosis define her – with her family instilling resilience into her so she can “leave her stamp on the world”.

Sunshine Coast girl Maya Boniface battling cystic fibrosis. Picture - contributed.

A nine-year-old Sunshine Coast girl with a passion for sports and a competitive streak is determined to not let her cystic fibrosis define her.

Mya Boniface was diagnosed at just four weeks old, a day her mother, Laura Boniface, 37, could never forget.

“It turned our world upside down,” Mrs Boniface, from Golden Beach, said.

“We had no family history and no idea that both my husband and I carried the gene.

“You have this baby in your arms who you think is perfect...then we were just broken. It was the first time I ever saw my husband cry.”

Mya Boniface being flown to hospital. Picture – contributed.

Cystic fibrosis is a disorder which damages the lungs, digestive tract, and other organs. It’s an inherited disease caused by a defective gene. One in 25 carry the cystic fibrosis gene, and up until recently more than 50 per cent of those diagnosed didn’t live past 18-years-old.

“We raised her to not be her illness,” Mrs Boniface said.

“Everyone has got something. You can either sit there and wallow in it or get on with it and rise to the challenge.

“We’re not letting it define her. It’s made her strong. We tell her ‘you are not your illness. Anything could take you out any day. You’ve got to make the best of what you do have’.

“She’s very determined, competitive, confident, strong, beautiful, and still perfect in every way.

“We want her to defy the odds...make the most of the time she has here and leave her stamp on the world.

“We have a motto in our house at the moment - ‘when life gets tough... get tougher’ and she certainly lives by it.”

Mya Boniface loves spending time being active outdoors. Picture – contributed.

The family sold their home in Brisbane and moved to the Sunshine Coast within months of Mya’s diagnosis.

Their main focus was to keep her as active as possible.

“Being active is really important to those with CF to help keep their lungs healthy. The opportunities to be active are endless here on the coast,” Mrs Boniface said.

“We take advantage of every opportunity. Mya is a keen netballer, nipper, oztagger, runner, anything that gets her active she will give it a crack.

“She’s very motivated and competitive. A very fun loving and cheerful girl, a bit of a clown, and very social.”

Mya Boniface will keep any sport a crack. Picture – contributed.

Despite her positive attitude and mature outlook on life, Mya has not had the easiest run with cystic fibrosis.

She was also diagnosed with a cystic fibrosis related liver disease at just two-years-old. Mya averages a hospital admission every 18 months which involves a two week stay at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane where she has a PICC (a central line) inserted and receives IV antibiotics and intense chest physiotherapy to help clear persistent and difficult to clear bacteria in her lungs.

Her regular daily routine when she is “well” entails three nebuliser sessions, two chest physio sessions and about 30 tablets a day. When she is unwell and on extra nebulisers and physio sessions, this routine can take up to three hours a day.

Mya Boniface spends weeks in hospital every year. Picture – contributed.

“We haven’t hidden her from any of it at all,” her mother said.

“We’ve told her how bad it could get and how it used to be but have also told her that it looks like her future will be very different.

“Mya is so fortunate to have been born into the time she was. The prognosis of those with CF has changed drastically over the last 40 to 50 years. Once upon a time children struggled to survive childhood.”

Mya Boniface with her OzTag team. Picture – contributed.

A recent achievement for Mya was being selected to represent the U10 Girls Caloundra Jets OzTag team at the 2024 QLD Oztag Junior State Cup.

A recent hospital admission threatened her participation but luckily she was discharged one week before the competition.

“Mya’s team coach Ross Baker mentioned he had a friend who was raising money for CF and he was a referee at the OzTag competition,” her mother said.

Mya Boniface with an Oztag referee McBroom who is raising funds for cystic fibrosis. Picture – contributed.

“Mya and I were fortunate enough to bump in this young man and offer our sincere thanks.

“It is so heartwarming to know there are people like Chris working away in the background raising funds and awareness to something so close to our hearts.”

You can donate to support Mya and cystic fibrosis research here.