PHOTO: Lois Daniels, whose battle against leukaemia has brought the Baradine community together for a major fundraiser.
The Baradine community turned out in force last weekend to support six-year-old Lois Daniels in her fight against leukaemia.
The generous spirit of the small town was on full display when an impressive amount in excess of $20,000 was raised at a lawn bowls fundraising event held to help Lois and her family as they face the challenges of ongoing hospital treatment and travel expenses.
A large crowd packed the Baradine Bowling Club on Saturday, 14 March with people travelling from across the region to show their support. The atmosphere was one of warmth and generosity as everyone came together with a shared purpose, to help ease the burden facing Lois and her family.
Lois is a bright, beautiful 6-year-old little girl who lives in Baradine, with her mum Drew, her dad Teigan, and her cheeky two-year-old brother Knox.
Since August last year, Lois has been in and out of hospital with an ongoing unexplained illness.
She has had multiple admissions to Dubbo Hospital and Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick,with doctors struggling to find answers. During this time, Drew and Teigan have used all of their leave while travelling hours from home to make sure Lois received the care she needed.
“In September last year Lois started getting swollen, sore joints; she was in and out of hospital, but released without any diagnosis,” explained Teigan. “At first the doctors thought she had some sort of inflammatory disease. They did a bone aspiration in November but they could not find anything.
“In mid-January she started getting sick again and an x-ray showed she had lesions on her ribs.
At the beginning of February, the doctor told us she had leukaemia; a type called AcuteLymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Since then, she has been in Sydney and has just finished stage one of the treatment.
“She is responding really well and the great news is that they have found less than one percent of the cancer in her bone marrow. There are still two more chemotherapy treatments and one bone aspiration to go, but at the moment the treatment is working and the doctors are happy. She is a fighter; she is tough and we are so proud of her.
“It’s just a big weight off our shoulders to find out what was wrong and that it is treatable. It’s been a long haul, but we can see a light at the end of the tunnel now”
Teigan says that he and his partner, Drew have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity shown by the Baradine community.
“We honestly don’t have the words to thank everyone,” added Teigan “The support we have received from Baradine and the surrounding communities has been incredible and it gives us so much strength as we focus on Lois and her treatment.
Massive response
“Today was only meant to be a small fun bowls day, but it’s turned into something massive and we are so grateful for these guys putting it on. There are people from everywhere; it’s unbelievable and it really shows what a little community can do.”
Event organisers Nick Dewson and Nikki Hyde say the fundraiser was about more than just raising money.
“It was about showing Lois and her family that they are not facing this journey alone,” said Nikki.
“The love and support from the community have been incredible.
“It started with the men’s bowls committee running a few meat raffles and it’s just snowballed from there. We have had donations from Sydney, Dubbo, Coonamble, Coonabarabran, Baradine and beyond; it has been fantastic.
“Today, we had a fun lawn bowls morning with teams of four and dress up if you like to get people involved. We had a barbecue lunch, a chocolate wheel, raffles, an auction and even the donation of a holiday in Bali, with all proceeds going to the Daniels family.
“We have always been a town that supports a good cause; if we can do a little bit to help Tegan and Drew so they can concentrate on Lois, then that’s what we’re here for.
Lois’s good medical report is very positive news for everyone to hear today, which is really good.
“The support from the town doesn’t surprise me because I know what we can do. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed towards this fundraiser and for coming along and supporting Lois and her family in this way.”
By LIZ CUTTS