Caiden was first recognized with an inoperable mind stem tumour in 2022 and has since undergone two rounds of radiation. Now, his dad and mom are fundraising for a visit to Bluey’s World, a theme park set to open in Brisbane in November as they attempt to profit from the time they’ve left with their son.
MacGibbon says she and her husband Karl really feel “fortunate in an unfortunate scenario”, as most of these recognized with Caiden’s kind of most cancers – stage 4 Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG/DIPG) – have a prognosis of 9 months to a 12 months, whereas he’s nonetheless preventing 20 months on.
“Sadly, 12 months after he had obtained his first spherical of radiation, he wanted to have one other spherical, which he went by way of in January and February this 12 months as a result of his tumour had began to develop once more and it was inflicting him to be symptomatic,” MacGibbon says.
“He was unable to elevate his head, he was very drained, might hardly stroll – he would crawl or he needed to be carried. So we sort of suspected that his tumour had began to progress at the moment.”
As MacGibbon explains, the “honeymoon interval” for a second spherical of radiation isn’t so long as with the preliminary spherical. “So, clearly, there may be that concern that’s kicked in behind me now that we don’t know the way a lot time we now have left with him.”
Caiden has simply began a brand new remedy to focus on one of many mutations of his most cancers and assist decelerate the expansion of his tumour and is coping nicely to this point.
And whereas they know there’s no treatment, his dad and mom need him to have the highest quality of life he can within the time he has left.
“In a nightmare of a scenario, we really feel very fortunate that he’s nonetheless right here preventing alongside us,” MacGibbon says.
Proper now, all Caiden is aware of is that he has a “naughty lump” and that medical doctors are attempting to shrink it.
“Generally I want that he was older so we might have these deep and significant conversations.
“However then there may be the flip aspect that he doesn’t know – and I feel not figuring out generally is best within the sense that some folks might hand over once they know the worst is to come back.
“He retains asking if it should go away when he will get older and we reply with ‘That’s what we hope’,” she says. “So we feature the heaviness of his analysis, and let him be as a lot of a kid as he can.”
What they will do is assist Caiden tick off as many issues on his bucket listing as attainable, due to the kindness of strangers.
“We’ve been very fortunate within the sense that he was capable of do a helicopter journey, we received to journey to Queensland a number of months in the past, kindly from folks’s donations … we’ve been capable of go on holidays to Kerikeri, go to the parrot place.
“He has a love for birds, so it’s eternal, the expansion that we now have with birds as a result of they’re both having infants or he’s wanting to purchase extra. It’s all about seeing him smile and creating reminiscences, and it’s unhappy to suppose that the reminiscences are literally for us.”
Now, the MacGibbons are fundraising to take Caiden to Bluey’s World in Queensland when it opens this November.
“He has this fascination with when he watches TV programmes, whether or not they be cartoons or not, that he needs to go to their home,” his mum says, including Caiden even had a Bluey-themed social gathering for his sixth birthday.
“So when Bluey’s World was marketed – that you may really go into Bluey’s World – he was so excited that daily he talks about it, you understand, ‘when are we going to Bluey’s World?’ And that may be a dream come true for him.”
Requested how it could really feel to make that dream a actuality, MacGibbon is overcome with emotion. “I don’t suppose he’d wish to depart it … it could be very particular,” she says.
“Whereas we’re watching the happiness that he’s experiencing from this stuff, we nonetheless have this heaviness. I want that I might do extra. I want that I might treatment him. All I’ve is to have the ability to fulfil his goals. It might make us extremely completely happy simply to see his goals being granted for him.”
MacGibbon and her husband each stopped work when their son was recognized. “You recognize, we don’t have years with our youngster and we get little little or no Authorities help. And that’s why we’ve been having to fundraise to have the ability to be at residence and to have the ability to grant his needs.
“My mum has been superb … she gave up work to assist us out. She is my finest buddy, she goes above and past for us.”
Nevertheless, the Auckland mum says she has been “getting some hate” for fundraising. “It’s actually unhappy … I assume as a result of they’re not in our scenario, they don’t have the understanding.”
However for herself and her household, the love and generosity of individuals they don’t know have outweighed the negativity – and he or she needs to share her gratitude to those that have donated to Caiden’s Givealittle web page to this point.
“I wish to say thanks to everybody that has supported us, as a result of this journey has proven us who our true individuals are and a whole lot of them are strangers. So we’re so grateful for these folks which might be standing by us and serving to us. We really feel like we now have a village.”
You may donate to Caiden’s Givealittle right here.
Bethany Reitsma is an Auckland-based journalist masking life-style and leisure tales who joined the Herald in 2019. She specialises in telling Kiwis’ real-life tales, money-saving hacks and something even remotely associated to espresso.
