Daisy’s Day on the Green: Cranbourne family to fight brain cancer
A family was given two choices after their tiny baby Daisy was diagnosed with an incurable brain cancer. They chose to help others.
South East
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Daisy’s parents had two choices when their little girl was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.
They could have taken their three-month-old baby home to spend her final days with them or she could be the youngest participant of a new drug trial for ATRT brain cancer.
Daisy’s mother, Shauna Clarke said there was “no good option” for her baby.
“If she trialled the drugs we would be going in blind to what she would be going through,” Shauna said.
“But I would not be able to forgive myself if we did not try everything we could for her.”
Daisy underwent nine surgeries and three rounds of gruelling chemotherapy, all of which she was not expected to make it through.
Daisy died on April 10, aged just seven months, but Shauna’s fight with the disease was not over.
“When Daisy was diagnosed with ATRT cancer, there was no hope,” she said.
“The odds were always against her but she fought so hard.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7vpPn0hqK3/
“I feel like I still need to fight for the next person to at least give them some hope.”
Shauna said most of the treatments Daisy was given were more than 30 years old.
“I am scared that in 30 years, if one of my grandchildren were to be diagnosed with brain cancer there still would not be a cure or even more options for treatment,” she said.
Shauna, her husband Sam and her two older children Drew and Niamh have channelled their grief into a mammoth fundraising effort for brain cancer research.
“Even though she did not make it through, the next kids might because of her little legacy,” she said.
The Cranbourne family has set up multiple fundraisers including a golf and cocktail event called Daisy’s Day on the Green.
They have also created merchandise and 120 people also got matching daisy tattoos in her memory.
“It is as much about awareness as it is funding,” Shauna said.
“Hearing you baby has an incurable brain tumour is a hard pill to swallow, and there is not much information online.
“Daisy created her own community of support with her fight and we want to continue working to raise awareness and fund research into the disease.”
Shauna said Daisy’s fight and her smile have reached thousands of people around the world.
“Daisy smiled through everything,” she said.
“She even smiled right after being woken up from one of her brain surgeries, which the surgeon said she has never seen anyone do.
“I will continue her fight against brain cancer to find a cure.”
Daisy’s Day on the Green will be held on September 13.
Shauna has created an email address for people who were interested in getting involved.
teamdaisychain@hotmail.com
