In 2017, Mikayla Lo was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Giloma, or DIPG, which is an aggressive form of brain cancer that affects around 10 to 15 Australian children each year.
DIPG is a tumour located in the middle section of the brainstem, called the pons. It affects the function of the brainstem, which acts as a communication bridge between the body and brain.
The survival rate for DIPG remains very low - from diagnosis, patients usually live for an average of nine to 12 months, and 80 per cent of patients don't live past one year.
Mikayla's father Raymond says it is still hard to come to terms with his daughter's diagnosis.
“As a father, when I was told my daughter will be dying soon, my world had fallen apart. And especially as my daughter was only four years old,” he tells SBS Cantonese.
“At that moment, other than being told of that she had two years to live, I couldn’t hear anything else from the doctor.”
Source: Supplied
‘Mikayla Our Miracle’
Mr Lo describes his daughter as a “very brave girl” and says the family walks with Mikayla in fighting the disease.
“Since Mikayla was diagnosed, the life of our family has been completely changed; Mikayla takes steroids every day to control her tumour growth. It causes Mikayla to have a larger appetite [and she] needs more care and attention to her diet.”
Despite encountering difficult days, he says the family cherishes the time they have with Mikayla.
Since the early stage of diagnosis, Mikayla has taken Chinese traditional medicine. The bitter taste is strong and even adults may not be willing to swallow.
However, Mr Lo says his daughter remains optimistic and willing to push beyond her limits.
Source: SBS
“Although Mikayla was diagnosed with DIPG, she has little concept of life and death. She continues to play with her favourite toys and visit parks as other children do."
Through the Facebook page , the family has been raising awareness for , a charity dedicated to improving treatment outcomes for children diagnosed with the cancer.
The charity was founded by cancer researcher Dr Matthew Dun, whose four-year-old daughter Josie was diagnosed with the disease in 2018.
Through research in his own lab at the University of Newcastle, Dr Dun hopes to develop strategies that may prolong the survival of children diagnosed with DIPG.
Dr Dun is running the charity to help fund his own research.
Dr Dun and his daughter Josie Source: SBS
“Awareness is critically important,” Dr Dun says.
"It's been a silent killer for a long time because families of children diagnosed with DIPG are in such shock following the diagnosis and the disease has such a rapid rate at which it takes our kids, that families are left fighting for their lives. They don't have time to then promote the aggressive nature of the disease.
"So the more that's known about DIPG, the more chance we have of raising more significant funds and starting to do research that will ultimately lead to better treatments and outcomes for kids."
