Family’s tough two years after toddler’s shock cancer diagnosis

It’s something every parent fears, and one Toowoomba family lived through the nightmare when they were told their beautiful three-year-old daughter had leukaemia.

“Your child has cancer.”

It’s something every parent fears hearing but that was the reality one Toowoomba family faced two years ago when Tiffany and Karl Ernst were told their beautiful three-year-old daughter Haylen had leukaemia.

It was 2019 when their lives were thrown into chaos after a doctor confirmed Haylen had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Mrs Ernst suspected the diagnosis as her daughter wasn’t herself over the Christmas holidays – she wouldn’t eat and would sleep for an unusual amount of time.

Brave little Haylen Ernst was diagnosed with leukaemia at 3-years-old. Pictured with her parents Tiffany and Karl, as well as her siblings Jayda and Chevy.

After a number of blood tests it was confirmed and Haylen was given a blood transfusion and platelets before being urgently transported to Queensland Children’s Hospital.

Treatment began right away and for the next six months the family was torn apart.

With two other children to care for and a business to run, it made life even more difficult.

“My oldest two kids stayed with family in Toowoomba while we were down in Brisbane with Haylen,” Mrs Ernst said.

“But Karl still had to run the family business back home so couldn’t be there the whole time.”

The family were offered a unit to stay in free-of-charge at a Leukaemia Foundation Patient Accommodation Village.

Brave little Haylen Ernst was diagnosed with leukaemia at 3-years-old.

“We felt so lucky to be able to come home to a little bit of normality,” she said.

“We set it up so Haylen could have all her toys from home there and made it feel cosy.

“We knew we were safe there as everyone else was going through exactly what we were and understood the risks completely.”

Haylen’s intensive treatment caused her to have high temperatures, mouth ulcers and mucositis.

Finally in July 2019 Haylen and Tiffany returned home.

READ ABOUT NEW FINDINGS FROM THE LEUKAEMIA FOUNDATION.

Their life is still far from normal with the pair travelling back to Brisbane every 12 weeks for Haylen’s maintenance treatment, with a telehealth consultation every six weeks and blood tests at their local hospital every fortnight.

“We are just so happy to be home and have the family all under one roof again,” she said.

“But I still consider the hospital in Brisbane our little safety net and happy we can continue to go back there for treatment.

Brave little Haylen Ernst was diagnosed with leukaemia at 3-years-old.

“Having chemotherapy and what it does to little bodies means Haylen doesn’t really know what it’s like to be a ‘normal’ kid and not have to worry about germs all the time.”

The family are now looking forward to celebrating the end of Haylen’s maintenance treatment next month.

Mrs Ernst reflected on her family’s journey to raise awareness for what children and their parents go through when they’re given a shock diagnosis such a leukaemia.

It’s a timely reminder with World’s Greatest Shave coming up in March.

Now in its 23rd year, the campaign is the single biggest source of revenue for the Leukaemia Foundation since it started in 1998.

Leukaemia Foundation’s newly-appointed CEO Chris Tanti said the Leukaemia Foundation would not stand idly by while blood cancer continued to take so many lives.

“It’s time to turn the tables on blood cancer and to realise our goal of zero lives lost to blood cancer by 2035. We urge all Australians to join with us in taking a stand against blood cancer by rallying together, signing up to World’s Greatest Shave, and bravely shaving their head in 2021,” he said.

Money raised from World’s Greatest Shave not only supports families impacted by blood cancer, but it also helps research scientists continue their search for better ways to diagnose and treat blood cancer more effectively.

For more information on the World’s Greatest Shave click here.