Tate

2026 Recipient

Tate’s story from his mum Dimitie: 

On the 15th of April 2024, I took Tate to Port Macquarie Emergency Department due to a high temp and being lethargic. Doctors checked him over, felt his belly for any tenderness, and he flinched when they touched near his appendix. So, they suspected he had appendicitis and asked to do bloods and an ultrasound to confirm, as well as a consult with the paediatric surgeon to determine if he would need emergency surgery overnight. About 1am on the 16th of April, the doctor had asked to speak with myself and Tate's father Jarrod. It was then that we were told they had run Tate's bloods 4 times to make sure they were seeing things correctly and confirmed they thought his bloods were cancerous. 

At 9am that same morning, Tate and I were put on a plane to John Hunter children's hospital, while Tate’s father Jarrod drove down to Newcastle to meet with the paediatric oncology team. The aim was to either confirm the suspected cancer, or rule it out.  

As soon as we got there the team informed us that it is highly likely Tate has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) but would need to take a bone marrow sample to confirm. The next day, April 17th, 2024, Tate went in for his first ever surgery, to take a bone marrow sample, as well as put in a central line and nasogastric tube. Later that day it was confirmed our 2-and-a-half-year-old son had B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The doctors discussed a treatment plan and said if we decided against treatment Tate had 2 - 4 weeks to live. At that point I was thinking to myself "what are we waiting for, save my baby". 

The next day April 18th, 2024, Tate started his first block of chemotherapy treatment. That was the start of our very long journey in Newcastle. Not only did we have to watch our son go through this, but we had to relocate to Newcastle with Tate’s sister Emili. We spent 250 days living at the Ronald McDonald House, Newcastle.   

Tate went through countless treatments: chemotherapy rounds, lumbar punctures, IV antibiotics, steroids, NG insertions, X rays & CT scans, blood & platelet transfusions and a port-a-cath insertion. The days were long, and the nights felt never ending, but Tate got through it all with a cheeky smile on his face.  

On the 21st of December 2024, we were finally allowed to take Tate and Emili back home to Port Macquarie, as Tate was now in home maintenance.  

The road hasn’t been easy, and every day we are learning how to live our new normal, but Tate & Emili have made this Journey so much easier, as they have both been strong in their own way. We have made so many lifelong friends that have now turned into family, which has also made this journey easier, as we have others that understand; to lean on, and the kids made friends they could relate too.   

Tate will finish Treatment on the 30th of July 2026, 6 months before he starts kindergarten in January 2027.