Stomping blood cancer out one step at a time
Wednesday 4 July, 2018
“Ding dong ding dong!”
That was the sound of the bell ringing when Nika Ferreira so excitedly rang to signal the end of her cancer treatment.
At eight years old, Nika and her family were dealt with a blow when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
Because ALL progresses quickly, Nika had to immediately endure multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a combination of medication to destroy leukaemic cells with hopes of inducing a remission.
Throughout long the two and the half years of treatments, Nika and her family received the support they needed from the Leukaemia Foundation.
“The Leukaemia Foundation were so wonderful to Nika and my family. When we first found out about the diagnosis, we were devastated. But the doctors together with the Foundation’s team were so positive and supportive,” said Liezel, Nika’s mother.
“Their words of encouragement and assurance really gave us hope.”
Liezel recounted that the team of supporters from the Leukaemia Foundation were always there to make sure Nika is always smiling and laughing even though the cancer treatments can be painful and tiring.
It’s been two years since Nika rang her bell in the hospital.
Since her remission, Nika, now aged 12, has been really active and has become a keen rock climber. With her energy returned, Nika can now be found running and jumping together with her bunch of merry friends.
Nika is one of the ambassadors for the upcoming Stadium Stomp Stairs Challenge in Queensland on Sunday, 29th July, and will be braving the challenge by taking thousands of steps together with her friends.
“I like being active and Stadium Stomp is a great way to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation by doing something that I love. Also, I want to help others who are going through what I experienced and show them that they will get better just like I did,” said Nika.