By Ewen McRae
Sammy Colakidis had always been a bubbly and happy child, so when parents Kristy and Steven saw that change they knew something was not right.
That was in June 2019, when Sammy’s parents first noticed an unusual yellow colour around her brow area, which prompted them to take her to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
After a series of test they received the devastating news that Sammy had Stage 4, high-risk Neuroblastoma.
“It was the most devastating moment of our life when we were told that our three-year-old had incurable cancer. It is the news that breaks you and shatters your world in an instant,” Kristy Colakidis said.
“There was no time to waste before we had to make the decision to take extensive and invasive action to fight against her cancer.”
What started with a primary tumour behind her stomach, it was soon discovered that the rare and aggressive tumour had spread to Sammy’s liver and throughout her bones and bone marrow, requiring immediate treatment.
The dire news continued as it was revealed that Sammy had a gene amplification that would lead to poor prognosis as her body is less likely to respond to treatment. Sammy began the arduous 12-month journey of chemotherapy, surgery, tandem stem cell transplant, radiation and immunotherapy.
With three other children to look after, Kristy and Steven have left no stone unturned in their attempts to help their family, spending many late nights researching and looking into new treatments.
Throughout it all, Sammy has been a pillar of strength.
“We had no choice, we could not spend days wallowing in sorrow,” Kristy said.
“Samantha, or Sammy Lammy as she prefers to be called has proved herself to be a powerhouse of strength throughout this whole journey. She attends her appointments in her ruby red shoes, pretty dresses and headbands, ready to, as we say in our house, kick cancers butt.”
Now waiting on the completion of her radiation therapy, the Colakidis family are anticipating acceptance into a trial in the U.S. in an attempt to keep Sammy in remission for longer.
In support of Sammy and her family, who have lived in the Woodlea community since 2017, Woodlea has initiated #stayinghomeforsammy, a social media challenge where people are encouraged to share a photo or video of themselves in isolation in an effort to raise awareness of the devastating effects community transmission could have on vulnerable members of the community, such as Sammy and her family.
The Colakidis family had a number of fundraising events organised to help raise funds for Sammy to travel overseas for treatment but in light of new regulations, all events
were cancelled.
To contribute to Sammy’s Go Fund Me campaign, visit https://bit.ly/3boVWCw
