Thriving beyond leukaemia

Blood cancer, like leukaemia, is the most common type of cancer in Victorians under 25. The aggressive treatment puts young bodies through significant trauma, which can have lifelong effects.
Thanks to advancement in cancer research, more children are surviving a leukaemia diagnosis. But ensuring they have a good quality-of-life after treatment is just as important as saving their lives. That’s where dedicated researchers like Dr Sarah Grimshaw from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute come in.

“We’re always trying to find ways we can help children return to their life after their cancer treatment has finished,” said Sarah.

Thanks to your compassionate support, Sarah has been awarded a three-year Cancer Council Victoria Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. This Fellowship will allow Sarah to advance her extensive work using physical therapy to improve frailty outcomes for children like Imogen, who has been living with leukaemia.

When Imogen was just eight years old, her life changed forever. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, she endured a long, painful, but necessary, treatment regime to save her life.

Young Imogen has generously shared her harrowing experience with us to help increase awareness and support for better outcomes for children and young people.

“I’ve had roughly about 20 surgeries and I’m still so terrified of surgery,” Imogen said two years after her unexpected cancer journey began. She can recall in detail the most painful (port surgery), the longest (Hickman surgery), and the fear that even a simple blood pressure check would bring.

But beyond the immediate challenges of cancer treatment, Imogen faced long-term side effects. She lost weight, experienced bloating, and developed ‘avascular necrosis’ - a debilitating condition caused by steroid treatment that led to bone death and left her wheelchair-bound for nine months.

Having survived leukaemia, the now 10-year-old Imogen has come out the other side of her treatment matured beyond her years. “I think I'm a lot braver than who I was. I feel like I can really just be myself after what I’ve been through,” she says with a wisdom only gained through such adversity.

Sarah’s research could have had a significant impact on Imogen’s treatment journey. One major challenge she is tackling is the effects of sarcopenia – the involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength – which is a serious side effect of childhood leukaemia treatment. Prolonged hospital stays and limited mobility can worsen this condition, making recovery even more difficult.

“My focus is trying to minimise the effects of their cancer treatment through physical activity and exercise during the acute phases of treatment,” said Sarah.

“Through my clinical experience, we’re understanding it’s really important to help children from the very beginning of their diagnosis, rather than when they’ve finished their treatment.”

Sarah had the privilege of meeting Imogen on Cancer Research Giving Day, when the two caught up at Cancer Council Victoria to share their stories. It was an inspiring day of incredible generosity from our supporters who seized the opportunity to double their impact on cancer research.

This commitment to helping people with cancer has meant we have awarded Sarah, and five other visionary early career researchers, a fellowship - helping them push boundaries and improve outcomes for people affected by cancer.

“This kind of funding helps clinicians like myself, who have a breadth of experience, to apply skills in the research space and make a difference that can have a broader impact across Victoria, Australia, and internationally,” said Sarah.

Despite the challenges ahead of her, Imogen continues to go from strength to strength, and with researchers like Sarah searching for new ways to improve the treatment and survivorship experience, more children with cancer will not only survive but thrive beyond their diagnosis.

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