Mat (my husband) and I quickly learnt that life still goes on and while all we wanted to do is crawl under a rock, we knew that we needed to tread through the water the best we can. We had to be strong for our family.
We started to look at the ‘now’ and look at the future as to what our children needed to be as happy and balanced as possible whist going through this challenge.
We were so fortunate that Tylah (our son) is very creative and imaginative so when Codee-Jo’s bloods were low and she was isolated, Tylah was such a blessing. When she was in the depth of treatment, she could see very little people but if her bloods were ok, her cousins and close friends would come for play dates when she is up for it also which was hugely appreciated and always lifts her spirits.
This however did not give her any educational needs that we felt she needed, as well as the social skills you need in life to meet new friends and people and learn to be with others and get along with others.
Codee-Jo had theatre monthly, bloods regularly, IV chemo every few weeks and when her bloods were low, she had to stay clear of others so she didn’t get sick, we really started to feel the need for social and educational learning for her.
Because children with cancer often have to be isolated from others as their immunity is so low, they cannot go to childcare, kindergarten or school when this happening.
For oncology kids the age of 2 to 5, there were little opportunities in South Australia for them to access social and educational opportunities that are germ free and safe for them to play.
For us, not only did we want something for our daughter, we also wanted something for all kids in the same situation.
After research, there was a playgroup in the North funded by a great organisation.
We thought it would be great have something similar in the south of Adelaide
From here, Lion Hearts Learning was born.
Founders Jolyn Phillips and Matthew Townsend found themselves at a loss in 2017 when their daughter Codee-Jo was diagnosed with Leukaemia..
My daughter Codee-Jo Townsend was diagnosed with Leukaemia in April 2017 and it has been a roller coaster of emotions. We had to be brave in the face of shear terror, provide laughter when wanting to cry and give meds at home while wanting to run to the hospital to ask to nurses to do it.
We never imagined that anything like this could ever happen.
From our incredibly happy life, in the blink of an eye, our world went to turmoil.
At the beginning, we literally lived hour by hour and to be honest, most of the first six months was a blur.
We really thought we would wake from a bad dream and it was all going to be over.
Codee-Jo fought the whole ride when being injected, her port accessed, given oral meds and going to theatre. She would throw up one minute and have a blood nose the next.
She has the heart of a lion!
