Anita and Alex Asher fundraise for toddler Archie’s Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

A Brisbane toddler, who recently celebrated his six month cancer remission milestone, has tragically relapsed, with his big sister holding the key to his only chance of survival.

A young Brisbane family, who celebrated their toddler’s remission milestone after a gruelling four months of chemotherapy, have received the devastating news that his rare cancer has returned.

A young Brisbane family, who celebrated their toddler’s remission milestone after a gruelling four months of chemotherapy, have received the devastating news that his rare cancer has returned.

Archie Asher was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, a rare form of cancer, in March 2023 at just six months old.

Archie’s parents, Anita and Alex Asher, said upon his diagnosis he spent 10 days on life support, dialysis and a cocktail of medications and received treatment in the oncology ward for a further four months, until he entered remission in July 2023.

Archie, who is now 15 months old, had been performing well in physio and had even taken his first steps, after being readmitted to hospital twice for recurring urinary tract infections, due to bladder damage.

Mrs Asher said Archie would undergo routine blood tests every six weeks and until early December was seen to be making significant progress in his development.

Archie's rare leukaemia had returned on January 25, 2024.

“We were slowly resuming to normal family life,” Mrs Asher said.

Just two week after the family celebrated Archie’s six month milestone in remission the unimaginable happened.

On Thursday January 25, 2024 the Asher family were informed that Archie’s cancer had returned to his bone marrow.

“He had a bone marrow aspirate check up today that confirmed he has a heavy leukaemia burden in his bone marrow, similar to the first time, and when they looked under the microscope it is the same mutation,” Mrs Asher said.

“We are beyond our grief stricken selves, barely having time to return to normalcy,” she said.

Doctors have informed the family that Archie’s only hope of survival is two cycles of chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant from his 4-year-old sister, Alani.

“We (parents), Archie’s big brother and sister all got tested to (see if we were) a match early on, during Archie’s first cycle of chemotherapy back in April 2023,” Mrs Asher said.

“None of us were a match except for our beautiful Alani and she will give Archie the best chance of long term survival but Archie has a 40 to 50 per cent chance of survival, even after the transplant.

“Archie deserves every chance at a normal life and the luxury of growing up, which a lot of kids with cancer never get,” she said.

Bone marrow for Archie will be transplanted from his sister, Alani.

The family have continued with their GoFundMe page to support themselves during this unimaginable time.

“We will be forever grateful and we are more than happy to receive positive thoughts and energy for our little Archie,” Mrs Asher said.

“It’s relentless, exhausting and Alex and I are shells of ourselves, on complete autopilot trying to raise our family and spend so much time apart.

Councillor Lucy Collier said this is a local family who need help,

“Anita is looking at 4 months off work to spend with Archie in hospital leaving dad as the sole financial provider for the family – I’m sure you can understand this is a huge financial burden for the family,” Councillor Collier said.

“Any vouchers, meals, lunch box snacks etc can be dropped off to my office at 63 Oxford St Bulimba from 8:30- 4:30pm Monday to Friday,” she said.