Jayden Wong: The Essington School student shares rare cancer battle, dreams of being a doctor

A Darwin teenager’s dreams of one day being a doctor have received a scholarship boost, with difficult medical exams unlikely to phase the brainy lad – he’s dealt with much worse, like his ongoing battle with a rare cancer.

Essington School student Jayden Wong, 15, prior to his diagnosis with grey zone lymphoma in February 2024. Picture: Supplied

A Darwin teenager’s dreams of one day being a doctor have received a scholarship boost, with difficult medical exams unlikely to faze the brainy lad.

After all, Jayden Wong, 15, a student of the Essington School, has dealt with far worse – like his ongoing battle with a rare cancer, grey zone lymphoma, which has led to Jayden and his mother having to relocate full-time to New South Wales to seek treatment at the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

It was February, in the midst of Jayden’s preparations for Chinese New Year and his big performance with the Chung Wah Society Dragon & Lion Dance Troupe, that he dropped to the floor.

Two weeks later, after complaining of persistent chest pains, a scan confirmed the worst: a tumour, measuring a scarcely believable 16cm by 12cm by 12cm, was growing in his chest cavity, just above Jayden’s heart, and blocking his cerebral arteries.

Essington School student Jayden Wong, 15, is an active member of the Chung Wah Society Dragon & Lion Dance Troupe. Picture: Supplied

That night, Jayden and his mother were on a CareFlight aeromedical charter to Sydney, where they have remained since.

“The first few months was really, really bad,” Jayden’s mother, who asked to withhold her name, said.

“It was hell – so much uncertainty as a parent.

“Jayden’s always been well and healthy.”

So rare is his cancer, Jayden’s mother said, that Sydney Childrens Hospital had not treated a case since 2006, and her son’s presentation led to a scramble to comb international cases for similarities, with a treatment plan eventually found in France.

Jayden said his descent from healthy teenager to cancer patient was so quick it left whiplash.

“It was quite sudden when I was first diagnosed in February,” he said.

“It was hard at first, I had to leave Darwin within 12 hours from going to the hospital; my schoolwork and all my assessments were impacted.”

Essington School student Jayden Wong, 15, on a CareFlight aeromedical charter from Darwin to Sydney, to immediately begin treatment for grey zone lymphoma. Picture: Supplied

Yet, with the help of Essington School and the Sydney Childrens Hospital School, Jayden was able to forge ahead with his studies, which he hopes will ultimately lead him to a career as a doctor, following in the footsteps of his two older sisters.

Last month, Jayden received a $3000 scholarship after being named a finalist in the Dare to Dream Scholarship program, a joint venture between Coles and national charity Redkite that financially supports young Australians battling cancer.

Jayden said he would likely direct the money towards studying for and sitting the University Clinical Aptitude Test, the hurdle all aspiring doctors must clear if they are to be admitted to highly competitive medical degrees.

“I want to be a doctor who understands my patients beyond medical charts, someone who knows what it’s like to face uncertainty and fear, and helps others the way my doctors helped me,” he said.

Grey zone lymphoma starts in the middle of the chest, an area known as the mediastinum, where it's thought specialised immune cells (B-cells) in the thymus turn cancerous. Picture: Lymphoma Australia

Jayden is not out of the woods yet, but there may be good news on the horizon for the inspirational teenager.

“My first round of chemotherapy shrunk the tumour the most, and then the rounds after that it slowed down a bit,” he said.

“The doctors haven’t officially said it’s in remission, but they’re not saying it’s not in remission.”

Jayden’s mum said the pair are crossing all their fingers that they will soon be able to return home.

“It has been a very challenging eight months for the whole family and Jayden has taken all of this in good stride despite pains, pokes and blood,” she said.