Help Little Lucca Beat Her Rare Cancer

At 16 months old, Lucca was diagnosed with an incredibly rare and aggressive form of cancer, called Epithelioid Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Sarcoma (EIMT). It is so rare that there have been only 9 documented cases worldwide. Conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatments are ineffective against EIMT and 8 of the 9 patients in the study passed away within 9 months of diagnosis.

However, 18 months on - thanks to her incredible team at Starship, and a targeted new type of chemotherapy drug - Lucca is a happy, bubbly and vivacious little girl who has shown tremendous courage and fight.

She has survived major live-saving surgeries (including the resection of a 1.1kg tumour) and undergone countless tests and procedures in her battle against the odds. Lucca's parents administer chemotherapy twice a day, by boiling up and syringing medication into a bottle of milo - which she surprisingly loves.

Because so little is known about EIMT, or about the type of treatment that Lucca is undergoing the family have to deal with a lot of unknowns and can't plan further ahead than each 3 monthly scan. Her mother hasn't been able to return to work as daycare is not an option for a child with a compromised immune system. This has meant the family have had to live off a single income since diagnosis, with no idea of how long the treatment or situation might last.