Townsville teen Summa King battling leukaemia for a second time

For NQ teen Summa King, the devastating diagnosis of cancer has become a reality not once, but twice. HER STORY.

Townsville teenager Summa King is battling cancer for a second time.

For a Townsville teen the shock diagnosis of cancer has become a devastating reality – not just once, but twice.

Summa King, a student at St Margaret Mary’s College and team member at White’s Corner Store who dreams of being a pediatric surgeon, was faced with her first cancer battle in 2019 when she was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at just nine-years-old.

Her mother Michelle King said they first began to realise something was wrong in the months before.

“She was suffering from high temperatures and bruising, she was a cheerleader at the time and we just assumed the bruising on her legs were from people standing on her legs,” she said.

“She was having to sit out of cheerleading and wasn’t able to play a full game of OzTag and was sitting out of PE and wasn’t going to school.”

Summa King ringing the bell at the end of her first cancer battle.

“It took about six weeks of going back and forth to the doctors every couple of days.”

Ms King said Summa underwent blood tests, with the news of the cancer diagnosis coming while they were down cheerleading at Nationals on the Gold Coast.

“When we got home we had the phone call to say come into the doctors, that afternoon we were in the hospital,” Ms King said.

Then began a gruelling battle over two years and a half years, with Summa spending most of her time receiving treatment in Brisbane, isolated her from her family, friends, school and sport.

Townsville teenager Summa King is battling cancer for a second time.

Ms King said it had a huge effect on Summa, both parents and her two sisters.

She also said the treatment was ‘extremely hard’ on Summa’s nine-year-old body.

“We flew back and forth during Covid on empty planes and at empty airports,” Ms King said

Her treatment ended in November 2021 when she was able to ring the bell at the hospital to signify she was cancer-free, but that began a whole other set of issues.

“The fallout from that was extensive, she was very anxious and had missed out on creating a lot of primary school connections,” Ms King said.

“She missed grade 4 to 7 and grade 7 to 8 was very sporadic.”

Townsville teenager Summa King is battling cancer for a second time.

Ms King said when Summa went into grade 9, three years in remission, she was a “new person”.

She got back into her sports, her job, friends, school and even became a School Leader and played for Oztag for the State Cup.

But in October last year, Summa began to have a sore left knee and then a sore right knee and pain in her hip.

“Her body was not right. We went away on holidays and I could tell she wasn’t eating, was losing weight, randomly getting bruises.”

Numerous tests led to an MRI, revealing a bone marrow abnormality.

“We had some hard discussions and the word ‘cancer’ came up again,” Ms King said.

“We arrived at the hospital, we got bloods, we got halfway down the hallway and she collapsed on the way to the oncology, I tried to run and grab a wheelchair from somewhere.”

“It’s like Summa walked into the hospital and her body was telling her what was wrong. It was very on point.”

On 17 April 2025, it came back that after three and a half years of remission, Summa’s leukaemia had returned.

Townsville teenager Summa King is battling cancer for a second time.

“Summa began to bawl her eyes out, started screaming, wanting to get out and go home. It was an awful experience.”

She was immediately flown to Brisbane by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to start treatment.

Ms King said it was the ‘best thing’ that Summa had relapsed with the same type of leukaemia, which had not morphed into something else.

“When it morphs it’s a whole different ball game, she would have gone straight to a bone-marrow transplant.”

Aside from chemotherapy, Summ has faced other health issues while in hospital including Tumour Lysis Syndrome and kidney failure, resulting in emergency surgery and several days on dialysis.

She has also suffered an E.coli and Fungal infection, and Typhlitis – which can be life-threatening for someone with a compromised immune system.

“Summa is just so devastated that cancer is here for a second time and she’s only 15,” Ms King said.

Summa King with her parents and sisters.

The community are rallying behind her as she continues chemotherapy and other treatments in hospital, with a GoFundMe set up to help her family during this trying time.

“It nearly broke our family. I am out of work to make sure I can be with Summa and her dad works fly-in -fly out, so it’s changed our whole lives again,” she said.

A wishing well for the Townsville to Cairns Bike Ride, which Ms King’s boss Shane Hayes takes part in each year, has also been set up at Willows Big W with a message of Summa’s story for members of the community to donate.

The ride, which has been running for 25 years, raises money for childhood cancer.

Summa’s employer, Kerrie White from White’s Corner Store said on the GoFund Me page that she is a much-loved member of the team.

“Summa is a fighter. A warrior. A survivor. She’s already shown what courage looks like — and now she needs her community more than ever,” Ms White said.

Donations will go directly to medical and treatment-related costs, pharmaceutical and allied health expenses, flights for her immediate family and everyday costs as the family devoted their time to helping Summa.

To donate to the GoFund Me click here.

Originally published as Townsville teen Summa King battling leukaemia for a second time