Having been through cancer as a teenager and seen her mum die of the disease, Amanda Wigman had been through enough pain to last a lifetime.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When her daughter Sophie was diagnosed with leukaemia at age 3, it felt like the world was against her.
"To watch her go through it was rough. It reminded me of everything I've experienced in the past," said Amanda, of Birmingham Gardens.
Amanda was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 14. When she was nine, her mum died from bone cancer.
After Sophie's diagnosis, the youngster went through 795 days of treatment, including chemotherapy.
"The first six months were intense. They put the drugs into her, killing what they can," Amanda said.
"After the six months, she was on maintenance chemo."
This involved having a "lumbar puncture every 12 weeks instead of every month".
The good news is that Sophie, now aged 6, is "amazing".
"At the moment we're trying to get back on top of life. She's in good health now," Amanda said.
The family, which includes Sophie's dad Michael and brother Alex, recently went fishing.
"It was nice and relaxed," Amanda said.
The support the family has received from Camp Quality has also helped them get through the tough times.
"I was in Camp Quality after my diagnosis at age 14," Amanda said.
"Everyone makes you feel so welcome and you don't feel different. It's so inclusive.
"It was just so much fun. You let your hair down and laugh a lot.
"It's a bunch of crazy, silly people whose main priority is making you smile to distract you from the horrible things going on."
Amanda became a Camp Quality volunteer at age 20, seeking to inspire "kids going through a rough time".
She spoke to the Herald to support Camp Quality's "Tax Time Appeal".
Camp Quality says it gives kids facing cancer a "childhood, not a cancerhood".
It wants their childhood to be filled with fun and laughter instead of hospital stays and chemo.
"Childhood is a special time that should be filled with carefree fun, laughter and adventures," a Camp Quality statement said.
"But for kids battling cancer, their childhood can all too easily become defined by their illness.
"Childhood is making friends on camp and having a three-day blast of fun, adventures and the sheer joy of riding a camel or standing up on a surfboard for the first time."
Donations can be made at campquality.me/donate.
