“We’re going to stop crying now – and consciously enjoy what we have!”

With the help of a new type of genetic test, the doctors found out that Laura’s tumour was extremely aggressive. In turn, that meant they needed a different, more intensive therapy than originally anticipated; the doctors gave Laura just a ten per cent chance of survival. Her parents, Gabi and Markus, who at the time were expecting their second child, were devastated – the excitement they were feeling about the new baby gave way to the fear of losing their elder daughter. 

Laura was kept in hospital to have the tumour removed quickly. After the operation, the two-year-old initially showed no facial expressions: she did not smile, did not cry, did not speak and hardly even moved. For her parents it was a time full of fear and uncertainty, but after just three weeks Laura smiled for the first time.

Laura responded very well to all the therapies and, in the end, a miracle happened: after ten months of intensive therapy, followed by a year of outpatient chemo, she was allowed to go home again for good. Her parents were over the moon and so utterly grateful – also for the support they had received from the doctors and nurses.

For Laura, a lot had changed: she had to learn everything from scratch – eating, speaking, walking. Thanks to ongoing occupational, physiotherapy and riding therapy, her sense of balance and motor skills also improved. Even now, the self-help offers, such as exchange with other parents and holiday offers, are an important support for the whole family. 
But the question of “why” still prays on her parents’ minds. They would like research to get to the bottom of the causes of the various forms of childhood cancer so that the chances of curing cancer improve even further. And that is why we at Childhood Cancer Switzerland are committed to childhood cancer research. Please help us so that more children like Laura can be cured.