It is a diagnosis no parent wants to hear for their child.
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Maureka Wright’s cancer symptoms first appeared when she was six months old.
Rashes, temperatures close to 40 degrees and yellow vomit prompted her mother, Amy Wright, to take Maureka to the emergency department in Wagga.
It was the first time Ms Wright would take her daughter to hospital for the start of a journey that is still far from over.
Maureka, now four, was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a rare form of blood cancer that is more common among Aboriginal people.
Maureka relapsed when she was three years old and for four months, Ms Wright was told by doctors that her daughter had scabies.
Further testing revealed that Maureka now had the disease in her blood and skin.
Maureka recently relapsed for the third time after 20 months off chemotherapy.
The disease has now caused diabetes insipidus, which affects the pituitary gland in the brain and causes Maureka to be constantly thirsty and have weak bladder control.
“Going through it for the first couple of years I didn’t think of it as a bad condition because I didn’t want to,” Ms Wright said.
“It’s harder now because it’s all starting to take its toll.
“I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy.”
The family recently moved to Bathurst to make travelling to Sydney for regular check-ups, MRIs and chemotherapy treatments easier.
Their day starts at 4am to catch a 5.50am train to Sydney.
Maureka’s treatment starts at 9am and is done in three hours in time for the family to catch the 4pm train home.
Ms Wright is supported by her mother-in-law Janelle Hagan and brother-in-law Troy Hagan in Bathurst.
Ms Wright’s mother is currently looking after her other children, nine-year-old Jayla and one-year-old I’zaiyah.
The family’s home in Wagga was broken into three times causing them to have to start over while still paying for treatment.
The family is calling on the public for assistance.
Ms Wright also wants to spread awareness, especially in the Aboriginal community, about the relatively unknown disease.
Find out more about Maureka via Our Brave LiL Fighter “Maureka” on Facebook or donate via gofundme.com/25zstx98.