An aspiring footballer has been forced to put his career on hold after being struck by an extremely rare, life-threatening form of cancer.
Ollie Miles, 16, from Queensland’s Capricorn Coast, was diagnosed with a unique form of leukemia just before Christmas.
He initially told friends and family he had a toothache, but 36 hours later Ollie was in hospital receiving his first treatment for the aggressive cancer.
His treatment plans change daily, according to Peter Watkins, chairman of the Yeppoon Swans Australian Football Club, the club Ollie played for.
The football club has a GoFundMe To help pay for Ollie’s ongoing treatment, his parents, Clint and Kate, have moved to Brisbane, where their son will spend the next three years taking part in a global study into rare forms of leukemia.
Ollie Miles, 16, was struck down with an incredibly rare form of leukemia in the weeks leading up to Christmas after initially complaining to his family about a toothache
Ollie is just one of 150 young people living with the disease in a number of countries.
He is expected to remain in Brisbane for at least six to nine months.
“Ollie has a big fight ahead of him, but with the support of his family, friends, St. Brendan’s schoolmates and the Yeppoon footy club, we are behind him and see him return to Yeppoon as soon as possible,” the club said . wrote.
Mr Watkins said Ollie’s diagnosis came ‘very quickly’ but his family appreciated the support from the community at ‘a quite traumatic time’.
Looking ahead, Mr Watkins revealed that Ollie will need blood donations and a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment.
‘We encourage anyone who is willing to become a blood donor and also have his or her bone marrow checked at the bone marrow registry.
“It’s not just kids like Ollie, there are a lot of kids across the country who definitely need this kind of help,” Watkins said. told ABC.
Ollie was one of the rising stars of the Gold Coast Suns Academy in AFL and his captain said he ‘had a big future in the sport’ before his diagnosis.
“But that’s clearly parked now, and he has much bigger things to fight for,” he added.
Ollie is just one of 150 young people in a number of countries who have the disease and will take part in a global study into rare forms of leukemia over the next three years.
The chief executive of the Leukemia Foundation’s Blood Cancer Partnerships, Tim Murphy, said the foundation will support Ollie every step of the way.
There are more than 120 different types of blood cancers and Mr Murphy said Ollie’s case was complex.
Despite the challenges, he promised the Leukemia Foundation would work with Ollie and his family to help him recover.
Mr Murphy added that it was a ‘very rare condition’ that a young person can develop, and that such situations can be very difficult for both the patient and his/her family.
The expert reiterated Mr Watkin’s plea for anyone who can to go to the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Register and sign up to donate bone marrow.
“Or head to the blood bank for the opportunity to give blood and plasma donations… each of these services will be vital in the case of Ollie and other Australians who need a good match,” Mr Murphy told the publication.
The chief executive of the Leukemia Foundation’s Blood Cancer Partnerships, Tim Murphy, said the foundation would support Ollie every step of the way.