Four-year-old Alastair Tatnell faces a long road to recovery after spending the past three-and-a-half months in Sydney undergoing aggressive treatment for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, however his prognosis is good.
Alastair and his parents, Pagan and Jesse, uprooted their lives and moved to Sydney in July so that Alastair could undergo complex medical treatment.
Three different types of chemotherapy, lumbar punctures and steroids treatments (that came with some horrible side-affects), along with countless blood and platelet transfusions, are doing the trick.
Pagan last week reported that recent tests have shown that Alastair doesn’t currently have any cancer cells in his body.
“We are beyond happy about him being free of cancer cells, but very aware that in order to stay that way, he needs to complete the full treatment protocol (two years all up) to go in to remission,” Pagan told The Cobar Weekly.
She said encouragingly Alastair will be able to complete 14 months of his two year treatment at home, on oral chemotherapy.
“This means a few more months of chemotherapy and steroids, lumbar punctures and bone marrow aspirations, before we can move on to the maintenance protocol (at home chemo program).
“So unfortunately, he still has to get very sick in order to get better,” she said.
Alastair has been immune compromised, and was for a while confined to his hospital bed or a wheelchair, but when he’s been well enough, Pagan and Jesse have been taking him to the bike track, to play at the park and occasionally fishing.
“He is a good patient and he just rolls with the punches. He still has quite a lot of energy and attitude and is now back to running/walking properly and continues to surprise his doctors and nurses with how well he is doing.”
Pagan said they try to keep Alastair active to maintain his muscle mass and mobility.
He’s now riding his bike without training wheels.
He loves reading books and doing craft activities. At the hospital he also has a TV and tablet, movies and games, volunteers who play with the kids and Alastair can attend the hospital preschool for an hour a day.
There’s also more activities provided by Ronald McDonald House, where the family is staying during Alastair’s treatment.
Alastair also looks forward to his parcel each week from The Cobar Weekly which contains the paper, a postcard from a local group, organisation or business, a Cobar-themed colouring-in page and a couple of little treats.
“He loves getting his weekly delivery. And we love it too, it’s nice to know that the people in our community are still thinking of us.
“Alastair especially loved the CSA buildable truck,” Pagan said.
Alastair misses his old toys and Cobar doughnuts but recently had the opportunity to visit both when they made a quick trip home to catch up with friends and family (and do some Halloween trick or treating).
Their trip was organised by the Little Wings children’s charity who arranged for them to flights with Pelican Airlines.
