Adelaide family upend their entire life to seek urgent treatment for 5yo son

“You’re racking your brain. Did I miss something? Could I have found it sooner? Why me?” asked heartbroken mum, Nat. 

An Adelaide family have been anxiously waiting to hear if their five-year-old son is well enough to seek urgent cancer treatment in the US. 

It wasn’t long after Murphy Nowak’s fourth birthday in September 2022 when he became seriously unwell. 

Parents Nat and Daniel knew something was wrong with their son, taking him to the emergency room four times but leaving each time without answers.  

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Murphy was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma. Source: GoFundMe / Murphy's Miracle

“Something’s wrong with my child” 

Each time they took Murphy to the hospital, his dad told the medical staff, “Something’s wrong with my child.” 

Their intuition was correct. Devastatingly, Murphy was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. 

Speaking to 7News, Nat recalled how she felt when she heard the news. “I just thought to myself, like, ‘This can’t be real’,” she said.

“You’re racking your brain. Did I miss something? Could I have found it sooner? Why me?”

In the 18 months since the shocking diagnosis, Murphy has undergone five rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, multiple surgeries, radiotherapy and immunotherapy. 

As a result, he’s permanently lost his hearing, suffered kidney damage and “severe muscle wastage.” 

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The family have experienced 18 months of endless chemo, surgeries and therapy. Source: Murphy's Miracle

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Watching their child go through the harrowing treatments has been incredibly tough for the Adelaide parents. 

“You almost feel physical pain ... watching your child go through [this],” Nat said. “I will never forget the moment he lost his hair.” 

This isn’t the first time the Nowak family has experienced heartbreaking news, with Murphy’s older brother nearly losing his life in a fight against meningococcal Y and bacterial meningitis. 

At five months old, Ted was being breastfed by Nat when she noticed something wrong with him. 

“By the time I got to the hospital, he was lifeless and unresponsive,” she recalled. “We were praying, believing for a miracle and he woke up.” 

Big believers in miracles, the family are wishing and praying the same can happen for their son, Murphy. 

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The family are planning to relocate to the US to undergo a DFMO trial. Source: Murphy's Miracle

“No. More. Cancer.”

Desperate to seek further treatment for Murphy, the family are hoping to move to the US to “give Murphy the full life that he deserves.” 

Their dream is to travel to Pennsylvania to undergo a trial for Difluoromethylornithin (DFMO), a drug that may assist in relapse prevention for High-Risk Neuroblastoma. 

Devastatingly, there’s an 85 per cent chance Murphy’s cancer will return and only a five per cent chance of long-term survival post-relapse, but the DFMO trial aims to reduce those chances. 

“Dr Giselle Sholler has seen many children remain in remission for years after the end of their protocol, giving Murphy a real chance at a bright future ahead living cancer-free,” the family said. 

But the only way he can take the next steps is by entering remission, leaving the family anxiously waiting, praying and hoping for a miracle. 

On February 16, Nat made the joyous announcement that Murphy was in remission, meaning it’s now possible for them to make the next step of their journey. 

“Yesterday Murphy had a PET scan, which is the gold standard of solid cancer scans, to which he presented with no disease present, a completely clear scan, therefore he has been declared in remission,” Nat shared in a blog post. 

“No. More. Cancer.”

The family have launched a GoFundMe campaign to support their move to Pennsylvania and raise awareness for their son’s medical journey. 

Now their son is in remission, Nat and Dan will relocate their entire family, daughter Calista and sons Hugo and Ted, to the US, meaning an entirely new life; new schools, new friends, new way forward. 

“Life happens,” Nat told 7News. “Cancer can happen to anyone. And it’s how you choose to cope.” 

You can donate to Murphy’s GoFundMe campaign here.

Originally published as Adelaide family upend their entire life to seek urgent treatment for 5yo son