Chloe Madison Coss – who turns two in April – was taken to hospital in March with what her parents thought was a simple virus.
But things quickly took a devastating turn.
An ultrasound revealed Chloe was suffering from internal bleeding – and she had a 10cm tumour on her kidney which was full of blood.
The little girl was transported to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, NSW, by Westpac Rescue Helicopter – before having emergency surgery to remove the tumour, her kidney and ovary.
However, in another tragic twist, an MRI scan revealed she also had seven tumours on her brain.
‘Our princess has been diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive cancer called Rhabdoid Meningloma ‘Metastatic Cancer’ stage 4 and has only been given a 20 per cent chance of survival... heartbreaking,’ Chloe’s devastated cousin Lisa Thomas – who has set up a GoFundMe page for the family – said.
‘Chloe has started 48 hours of chemo, it is going to be a battle to survive.’
It’s not the first time the Coss family has endured heartache.
Chloe’s aunt, Becky, passed away after a brave battle against progeria – a rare, fatal genetic condition characterised by an appearance of accelerated aging in children.
‘Becky died in my arms here in Tamworth, I had taken her to watch me play basketball,’ a devastated Lisa told New Idea.
‘Our family has been through so much tragedy and loss, and for this to now be happening with Chloe’s it’s heartbreaking.
‘I need to gather the support of the generosity of the community to help Chloe and her family.
‘She only has a 20 per cent chance and we need to move quickly.
‘I don’t want to bury another family member.’
With her parents Barry and Shiralee, brother, Noah, four months, and sister, Lexi, six, by her side, Lisa said the situation was ‘financially crippling’ for the family.
‘Unfortunately bills, rent and the cost of living doesn’t stop even when you have a critical ill child,’ Lisa said.
‘That is why we are reaching out to the generosity of our communities to assist this beautiful family, so they can be with their little Chloe during the fight for her life.’
To donate to the family click here
This article originally appeared on New Idea.
