admin
Abigail La Porta was bathing her six-month-old daughter when she noticed something strange that would change their lives forever.
‘I felt her head and felt a little lump,’ Ms La Porta told the Daily Mail.
Like any concerned first-time parent would, she took little Ayla straight to the doctor.
She was told it was likely a skin layer that had not fully developed and would disappear in the coming weeks.
‘But the lump got bigger so I got even more worried,’ Ms La Porta said.
She went back to the doctor who then sent Ayla for an ultrasound. Doctors who looked at the scan said the lump appeared to be a benign cyst.
Ms La Porta and her husband, Hakan, were told a simple day surgery would remove the lump and that life would go back to normal.
However, it was only the start of a heart-wrenching, years-long journey.
Ayla, three, has been fighting a rare cancer since a small lump was discovered on her head
Ayla was just six months old when her mum noticed a lump on her head while bathing her
Ayla first started cancer treatment when she was just six-months-old
In November 2021, the family received the worst news possible.
‘As they opened her head they realised it was not a cyst but a type of tumour which was cancerous,’ Ms La Porta said.
‘We were really shocked and I fainted when I heard it.
‘It was hard to comprehend that my child had cancer. For this to happen, I just felt like “Why our family? What’s wrong with her?”‘
Ayla began treatment, which included surgery and chemotherapy, for a very rare and aggressive cancer known as BCOR-ITD sarcoma.
After 18 months of treatment, Ayla entered remission until a routine scan in March revealed a 1cm tumour was present in the same area.
Doctors told the family Ayla would need to have a vital vein removed from her head.
‘They said “If we don’t do this, the tumour will keep coming back and she’ll die within two years”,’ Ms La Porta recalled.
Ayla’s cancer came back in the same area after she spent nearly two years in remission
Ayla is not far off heading to Florida for life-saving cancer treatment
After the operation, the tumour was tested and found to have active cancer cells.
Ayla now needs to undergo specialised proton radiotherapy – an advanced and highly targeted form of treatment that offers the best chance of eliminating the remaining cancer cells while reducing long-term side effects.
The treatment is not available in Australia, and the Sydney couple must take their three-year-old to Florida to access it.
‘There’s been successful cases of it working and other people’s cancers not coming back, so it seems to be a successful treatment for children my daughter’s age,’ Ms La Porta said.
While the Australian government will cover the treatment costs, the family will have to pay for travel, living expenses and accommodation while living in America for three months without earning wages.
The family has started a GoFundMe in a bid to raise $20,000 as they wait for paperwork to be processed before heading to America.
‘Any contribution, no matter the size, will go directly towards ensuring our daughter can receive the critical care she needs and easing the financial burden on our family,’ Ms La Porta said.
Proton radiotherapy has been shown to be an effective, highly precise treatment for BCOR-ITD sarcomas. The cancer belongs to a group of tumours known as sarcomas, which develop in connective tissues such as muscle, fat, or soft tissue.
Her mother Abigail just wants her daughter to again experience life cancer-free
Her cancer treatment can only be done in America and the family is raising funds for the trip
Ms La Porta says she’s dreaming of the day when Ayla can enjoy a normal childhood.
‘When she was cancer-free for a year she was just so happy. She loves dancing and playing and going to the park,’ she said.
‘She used to love going to daycare and playing with her friends. She was just a normal, happy baby. We just want to get back to normal again.
‘I don’t want this cancer to keep coming back.’
