Authentically Alice

“She’s too small to get cancer! It can’t be!”

It was all that Alice’s mum could think. But the diagnosis for two-year-old Alice was clear: she would need to begin immediate chemotherapy for leukaemia. Through those relentless years, and in all the years since, your love has never left Alice’s side. Thank you for helping her as she grows to be authentically Alice…

Aoife raced out of the hospital room to cry. Alice was barely two years old and as a mum, Aoife tried so hard hide her tears. But her cheeks were red and raw from trying to comprehend the life her family had just been thrown into. Their last carefree holiday… Alice sleeping and sleeping… bruises at the slightest touch. Now, in the space of less than a day, their baby girl’s terrifying diagnosis of blood cancer: leukaemia. “In a split second,” Aoife recalls, “our lives were completely turned upside down.”

The longest road

The family had no way of knowing Alice’s chemotherapy would stretch on for nearly three years. It was relentless treatment that while saving her life, saw their precious child suffer through countless infections, lumbar punctures, internal blisters, and pain that left little Alice so desperate she didn’t have the strength to cry. Her mum Aoife and dad Stephen had to  dress Alice in clothes for a nine month-old. She was two and a half by then.

When magic sparks

But even while Alice was still in treatment, the healing magic you bring was on its way to her family. One day during a quiet moment, they saw the Barretstown posters on the hospital noticeboard. “There was another little girl diagnosed the same night as Alice,” Aoife recalls. “Our families became friends, so we all decided to go down for a weekend. Alice was feeling okay for those days, but everybody knows what you’re going through, you don’t have to explain. And all the staff on site that can deal with whatever arises, it’s just overwhelming understanding and joy. We’ve come down many times since, and Alice always has this glow afterwards. It’s a real sense of community.”

Authentically Alice

Even before her leukaemia journey, Alice’s family will tell you that it seems like she’s been here before.  Aoife smiles. “She loves all the classics, like Little Women and Black Beauty. She loves her crafts and her drawing, and all the glitter! It’s shocking how Barretstown receives only four percent of funding from the government, and all the rest from supporters. Children really, really need that boost.”

Unfortunately, Alice has been struggling with her health recently. She was just diagnosed with a heart condition that’s caused her daily fainting episodes. Her family have her in good hands with a cardiologist, and we know that with your continued love and support for Barretstown beside her, Alice will always have a place to turn for healing magic. Thank you for being authentically, extraordinarily you.

✨ Discover more incredible stories! Dive into our latest newsletter!