Lang Lang, Victoria teenage dance, cricket star Ebony Miller in cancer battle
A Townsville-based family have been rocked by news their beloved daughter, an adored teenage dancer and cricketer, has advanced cancer.
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A Townsville-based family have been rocked by news that their beloved daughter, an adored teenage dancer and cricketer, has advanced cancer.
Krystal Miller said her family had only moved to North Queensland from Lang Lang, Victoria in August before daughter Ebony, 14, who had remained behind in Melbourne to finish the school year and compete in a dance competition, was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Mrs Miller said the cancer diagnosis of the vivacious, intelligent and otherwise healthy and active teen was heartbreaking.
“It was pretty difficult, it’s not something that you ever think you will encounter, especially in your own kids, she’s only 14 and normally fit and healthy with her dancing and everything so it kind of threw us a bit.”
She said that in addition to the emotional toll, the family of five was suffering financially and had borrowed money to travel from Townsville to Melbourne to be with their daughter.
Husband Tim had since returned to Townsville and recommenced work as a sugar-cane harvester in the Burdekin.
Mrs Miller said Ebony was facing the prospect of four to six months of gruelling chemotherapy beginning later this month and the family was unable to cope with the financial burden, including the cost of returning to Townsville and comfort items for Ebony during her ordeal.
“Just things she might need along the way, so she’s currently looking into wigs and stuff for herself because she’s going to lose her hair,” she said.
“We’ve got no idea about how long she’ll be getting treatment for, if we’ll be out of pocket for certain costs along the way.”
Mrs Miller, a full-time mother who had been looking to restart her career as a restaurant manager, said Ebony’s treatment would begin in Melbourne but the family hoped to return to Townsville between the first and second rounds of chemotherapy in mid-November.
She said the family, which included Ruby, 11, and Jasper, 3, then faced the prospect of having to make multiple, regular trips to Brisbane for Ebony’s chemotherapy, which added to the stress and costs.
“There’s no paediatric oncology (children’s cancer) treatment in Townsville for kids,” she said.
“That’s probably the hardest thing about the whole situation is that for such a huge state and for North Queensland to have such a massive population, for there to be no cancer treatment for paediatrics above Brisbane is just – I was gobsmacked.”
Mrs Miller said Ebony had a final dance completion on October 23 before she began chemotherapy.
“She loves her dancing, she’s absolutely obsessed with her dancing, if she could dance seven days a week would, I’ll tell you that right now.”
She said Ebony had been dancing since the age of three and was a member of the Star Struck Dance and Cheerleading Academy in Pakenham.
In addition to dancing, Ebony was also a passionate cricketer and a key member of the Lang Lang Cricket Club, playing in three teams and captaining the club’s junior all-girls’ side.
“To look at her she’s just like any other kid; she’s bright, vibrant, she’s very intelligent, she’s sitting at or above par in all her class subjects.”
The family have launched a GoFundMe page to help cover costs for the mounting expenses associated with Ebony’s treatment.
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Originally published as Lang Lang, Victoria teenage dance, cricket star Ebony Miller in cancer battle
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