Wagga's Ed Moloney shock leukaemia diagnosis gets Goannas on fundraising push

Only 18 years old at the time he thought he was in peak physical health. But it turned out the backache, weight loss, and extreme tiredness was actually leukaemia.

"He had some routine blood tests done, and immediately they wanted to airlift him to Sydney St Vincent's Hospital," said his mother, Fiona Moloney.

That was in June, now four months later, Edward remains in Sydney undergoing his treatment.

"I had to walk out of work, I have a house in Wagga where my elderly mother and my 17-year-old son live," Ms Moloney said.

"I just kissed them goodbye and moved to Sydney."

Three weeks ago, Edward had a bone marrow transplant thanks to an anonymous donor in Germany.

Transporting the life-saving stem cells to Australia was not made easy by the COVID-19 freight restrictions.

"Edward's immune system is at zero," Ms Moloney said.

"Even a head cold could kill him [so] there's a fear every single minute of the day.

"It's scary to think he could get through all this treatment and then a stomach bug could kill him."

With a lot of medical bills on the horizon, Edward's MCUE teammates have pitched in to raise some cash for the family.

This Saturday, from 1.30pm at Mangoplah Sports Grounds, they will host a fundraising event with live entertainment and a silent auction.

Up to 12 friends and family members will even shave their heads to raise funds.

Originally organised soon after his diagnosis in June, the event has had to be postponed several times to manage the COVID-19 restrictions.

But organiser Sara Langfield told The Daily Advertiser regardless of what the weather may hold, it will be going ahead this weekend.

"It's gotten bigger than we expected, people have donated their time, their money, everything for Ed and the family," Ms Langfield said.

By the middle of the week, up to 250 tickets had been sold, but the team expects an even bigger groundswell of support. They are hoping to raise upwards of $20,000.

Tickets can be purchased at 'Doing It For Ed' Eventbrite.