Pregnant Aussie mum forced into emergency delivery by cancer shock
Kezia Summers, 34, from Perth in WA, was forced into an emergency delivery after being called into hospital in the early hours of July 25 when a sinister find was picked up during routine antenatal blood tests.
'It was huge — I was absolutely speechless,' she told 7NEWS.com.au.
'It's just not something that I thought would happen to someone like me.
'No one in my circle has had cancer.'
The former singing teacher was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an aggressive form of cancer impacting the blood and bone marrow.
There had been little warning something was wrong, other than feeling a little more breathless and sapped of energy at the end of the day — symptoms that could easily be attributed to her pregnancy.
'They broke the news to me very gently, saying this is what we've found and explaining how my red and white blood cell counts were low, how my platelet count was low, treatment options and how the baby would have to come in the next 24 hours,' the mother-of-three said.
'In that moment, I was just thinking about how it would affect my baby.' Kezia Summers and baby Joseph. Credit: Kezia Summers
The following day, Summers gave birth to a little boy named Joseph via caesarean.
He arrived healthy and weighing 3.1kg, five weeks before his due date.
He has spent some time in the neonatal intensive care unit with minor breathing difficulties, but has recovered well.
Summers said she has had some 'beautiful moments' with her new bundle of joy and young family.
'It's been the hardest thing ever,' she said.
'You feel guilty over everything.
'I've had fever and temps from the cancer, and shoulder tip pain, so I haven't been able to see him and hold him as much as I'd like, because I've just been so unwell.' Kezia Summers with husband Luke and two boys Jacob and Solomon, before the arrival of Joseph. Credit: GoFundMe
Summers spoke to 7NEWS.com.au on Friday as she began the first of four rounds of chemotherapy at Fiona Stanley Hospital, where she is expected to be for some time.
Her husband Luke has juggled being by her side, being with their children and his new lawn care business, which he launched just six months ago.
'My husband has been my rock,' Summers said. 'I can't imagine what this experience would be like without him.'
'He's been staying with me overnight and then racing to work.
'He's been a massive strength for me.'
Relatives have provided invaluable support too, and she has also found strength from generous loved ones and strangers who have contributed to a GoFundMe set up to support the young family over the coming months.
'I'm so thankful,' she said.
'There are many people I don't know or haven't seen in a long time that have donated — I'm absolutely speechless.
'I feel undeserving. I'm just a regular mum and I don't have enough words to say thank you.
'It's such a blessing.'
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Herald Sun
14 hours ago
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
'Hard watching her struggle': Louella can't get out of bed by herself
Louella Jackson sits at her kitchen counter, carefully colouring in the lines of her newest picture. Like any other eight-year-old girl, she loves make-up, to draw, and sleepovers. But unlike her peers, she has an extremely rare condition that means her bones don't work like they are supposed to. "Chemically, genetically and physically, there's nobody like her in the world," Louella's mother, Brooke Jackson, said. Ms Jackson and Louella's stepfather, David Hearne, have started a GoFundMe to support her care, accessibility and housing needs as her condition worsens. "It's hard to watch her struggle and know that we can't help her," Ms Jackson said. Louella moves around the family's current Cameron Park rental on a kids' toy scooter as her wheelchair can't fit inside the house. "She uses one leg like a propeller, and another one like a rudder," Ms Jackson said. Her body was showing signs of nerve damage, structural bone failure, and pressure-related injuries, Ms Jackson said. When Louella was just six months old, her family was putting on her zip-up onesie when they noticed one leg was a little bit longer. "We originally thought it was a hip misalignment, and about one year in, we realised there was something much bigger going on," Ms Jackson said. Louella's stepfather, Mr Hearne, said no medical professionals knew her life expectancy, but at one stage they were told she would not live past five. "I think hearing the words 'your daughter is disabled' when she was seven months old, was a really hard thing for me," Ms Jackson said. After years of extensive genetic and blood testing, genetists at Westmead Children's Hospital believe she has a form of pseudohypophosphatasia. This condition means her symptoms manifest like hypophosphatasia, where too much phosphate builds up in a person's bones. This affects how her bones grow, develop and mineralise, leading to severe skeletal changes. For Louella, just moving around her home can be difficult. Ms Jackson said her daughter can't get on chairs, turn on taps, get on and off the toilet, or in and out of bed herself. "She does a great winged eyeliner, though," she said. Due to the way her bones were bending, her lungs were becoming restricted as well, which compromised her immune system. "When she gets sick, she gets really sick, so keeping her off the ground is important," Ms Jackson said. The family had been renting a place for four years and had approval from the owners to make $8000 in NDIS-approved accessible modifications. But the house was put on the market, and they had to move out within four weeks. While the new rental place is all one floor, they do not have approval to make modifications and Louella's wheelchair can't get through the front door. "We need an entry ramp, widened entry doorway, accessible paddle taps, a fixed toilet seat, and a shower chair with a detachable showerhead," Ms Jackson said. She said they would have to wait another 12 months to reapply for NDIS funding for housing modifications. "She can't use that little scooter for another six months, and we don't have another solution." The couple said a portion of donated funds could go towards a deposit on a property where they could make permanent modifications or to supplement home modifications, as the NDIS would not cover everything they needed. "Because of the changing dynamic of her disability, we don't know what she is going to need in the next year, and the NDIS needs to know that," Ms Jackson said. With three dependents, Louella, her brother Leo, 4, and her sister Harriet, 10, getting a deposit for a new home was "impossible", Ms Jackson said. Last month, the Newcastle Herald reported that NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Mr Hearne said they decided to look for accessible solutions because at 20-something kilograms, Louella was getting too heavy to carry every 10 minutes. "She wants her independence, but you just can't give it to her," he said. Ms Jackson said she was a gritty, tough and emotionally intelligent little girl. "The goal is just to make life in a wheelchair as comfortable as possible," she said. Louella Jackson sits at her kitchen counter, carefully colouring in the lines of her newest picture. Like any other eight-year-old girl, she loves make-up, to draw, and sleepovers. But unlike her peers, she has an extremely rare condition that means her bones don't work like they are supposed to. "Chemically, genetically and physically, there's nobody like her in the world," Louella's mother, Brooke Jackson, said. Ms Jackson and Louella's stepfather, David Hearne, have started a GoFundMe to support her care, accessibility and housing needs as her condition worsens. "It's hard to watch her struggle and know that we can't help her," Ms Jackson said. Louella moves around the family's current Cameron Park rental on a kids' toy scooter as her wheelchair can't fit inside the house. "She uses one leg like a propeller, and another one like a rudder," Ms Jackson said. Her body was showing signs of nerve damage, structural bone failure, and pressure-related injuries, Ms Jackson said. When Louella was just six months old, her family was putting on her zip-up onesie when they noticed one leg was a little bit longer. "We originally thought it was a hip misalignment, and about one year in, we realised there was something much bigger going on," Ms Jackson said. Louella's stepfather, Mr Hearne, said no medical professionals knew her life expectancy, but at one stage they were told she would not live past five. "I think hearing the words 'your daughter is disabled' when she was seven months old, was a really hard thing for me," Ms Jackson said. After years of extensive genetic and blood testing, genetists at Westmead Children's Hospital believe she has a form of pseudohypophosphatasia. This condition means her symptoms manifest like hypophosphatasia, where too much phosphate builds up in a person's bones. This affects how her bones grow, develop and mineralise, leading to severe skeletal changes. For Louella, just moving around her home can be difficult. Ms Jackson said her daughter can't get on chairs, turn on taps, get on and off the toilet, or in and out of bed herself. "She does a great winged eyeliner, though," she said. Due to the way her bones were bending, her lungs were becoming restricted as well, which compromised her immune system. "When she gets sick, she gets really sick, so keeping her off the ground is important," Ms Jackson said. The family had been renting a place for four years and had approval from the owners to make $8000 in NDIS-approved accessible modifications. But the house was put on the market, and they had to move out within four weeks. While the new rental place is all one floor, they do not have approval to make modifications and Louella's wheelchair can't get through the front door. "We need an entry ramp, widened entry doorway, accessible paddle taps, a fixed toilet seat, and a shower chair with a detachable showerhead," Ms Jackson said. She said they would have to wait another 12 months to reapply for NDIS funding for housing modifications. "She can't use that little scooter for another six months, and we don't have another solution." The couple said a portion of donated funds could go towards a deposit on a property where they could make permanent modifications or to supplement home modifications, as the NDIS would not cover everything they needed. "Because of the changing dynamic of her disability, we don't know what she is going to need in the next year, and the NDIS needs to know that," Ms Jackson said. With three dependents, Louella, her brother Leo, 4, and her sister Harriet, 10, getting a deposit for a new home was "impossible", Ms Jackson said. Last month, the Newcastle Herald reported that NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Mr Hearne said they decided to look for accessible solutions because at 20-something kilograms, Louella was getting too heavy to carry every 10 minutes. "She wants her independence, but you just can't give it to her," he said. Ms Jackson said she was a gritty, tough and emotionally intelligent little girl. "The goal is just to make life in a wheelchair as comfortable as possible," she said. Louella Jackson sits at her kitchen counter, carefully colouring in the lines of her newest picture. Like any other eight-year-old girl, she loves make-up, to draw, and sleepovers. But unlike her peers, she has an extremely rare condition that means her bones don't work like they are supposed to. "Chemically, genetically and physically, there's nobody like her in the world," Louella's mother, Brooke Jackson, said. Ms Jackson and Louella's stepfather, David Hearne, have started a GoFundMe to support her care, accessibility and housing needs as her condition worsens. "It's hard to watch her struggle and know that we can't help her," Ms Jackson said. Louella moves around the family's current Cameron Park rental on a kids' toy scooter as her wheelchair can't fit inside the house. "She uses one leg like a propeller, and another one like a rudder," Ms Jackson said. Her body was showing signs of nerve damage, structural bone failure, and pressure-related injuries, Ms Jackson said. When Louella was just six months old, her family was putting on her zip-up onesie when they noticed one leg was a little bit longer. "We originally thought it was a hip misalignment, and about one year in, we realised there was something much bigger going on," Ms Jackson said. Louella's stepfather, Mr Hearne, said no medical professionals knew her life expectancy, but at one stage they were told she would not live past five. "I think hearing the words 'your daughter is disabled' when she was seven months old, was a really hard thing for me," Ms Jackson said. After years of extensive genetic and blood testing, genetists at Westmead Children's Hospital believe she has a form of pseudohypophosphatasia. This condition means her symptoms manifest like hypophosphatasia, where too much phosphate builds up in a person's bones. This affects how her bones grow, develop and mineralise, leading to severe skeletal changes. For Louella, just moving around her home can be difficult. Ms Jackson said her daughter can't get on chairs, turn on taps, get on and off the toilet, or in and out of bed herself. "She does a great winged eyeliner, though," she said. Due to the way her bones were bending, her lungs were becoming restricted as well, which compromised her immune system. "When she gets sick, she gets really sick, so keeping her off the ground is important," Ms Jackson said. The family had been renting a place for four years and had approval from the owners to make $8000 in NDIS-approved accessible modifications. But the house was put on the market, and they had to move out within four weeks. While the new rental place is all one floor, they do not have approval to make modifications and Louella's wheelchair can't get through the front door. "We need an entry ramp, widened entry doorway, accessible paddle taps, a fixed toilet seat, and a shower chair with a detachable showerhead," Ms Jackson said. She said they would have to wait another 12 months to reapply for NDIS funding for housing modifications. "She can't use that little scooter for another six months, and we don't have another solution." The couple said a portion of donated funds could go towards a deposit on a property where they could make permanent modifications or to supplement home modifications, as the NDIS would not cover everything they needed. "Because of the changing dynamic of her disability, we don't know what she is going to need in the next year, and the NDIS needs to know that," Ms Jackson said. With three dependents, Louella, her brother Leo, 4, and her sister Harriet, 10, getting a deposit for a new home was "impossible", Ms Jackson said. Last month, the Newcastle Herald reported that NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Mr Hearne said they decided to look for accessible solutions because at 20-something kilograms, Louella was getting too heavy to carry every 10 minutes. "She wants her independence, but you just can't give it to her," he said. Ms Jackson said she was a gritty, tough and emotionally intelligent little girl. "The goal is just to make life in a wheelchair as comfortable as possible," she said. Louella Jackson sits at her kitchen counter, carefully colouring in the lines of her newest picture. Like any other eight-year-old girl, she loves make-up, to draw, and sleepovers. But unlike her peers, she has an extremely rare condition that means her bones don't work like they are supposed to. "Chemically, genetically and physically, there's nobody like her in the world," Louella's mother, Brooke Jackson, said. Ms Jackson and Louella's stepfather, David Hearne, have started a GoFundMe to support her care, accessibility and housing needs as her condition worsens. "It's hard to watch her struggle and know that we can't help her," Ms Jackson said. Louella moves around the family's current Cameron Park rental on a kids' toy scooter as her wheelchair can't fit inside the house. "She uses one leg like a propeller, and another one like a rudder," Ms Jackson said. Her body was showing signs of nerve damage, structural bone failure, and pressure-related injuries, Ms Jackson said. When Louella was just six months old, her family was putting on her zip-up onesie when they noticed one leg was a little bit longer. "We originally thought it was a hip misalignment, and about one year in, we realised there was something much bigger going on," Ms Jackson said. Louella's stepfather, Mr Hearne, said no medical professionals knew her life expectancy, but at one stage they were told she would not live past five. "I think hearing the words 'your daughter is disabled' when she was seven months old, was a really hard thing for me," Ms Jackson said. After years of extensive genetic and blood testing, genetists at Westmead Children's Hospital believe she has a form of pseudohypophosphatasia. This condition means her symptoms manifest like hypophosphatasia, where too much phosphate builds up in a person's bones. This affects how her bones grow, develop and mineralise, leading to severe skeletal changes. For Louella, just moving around her home can be difficult. Ms Jackson said her daughter can't get on chairs, turn on taps, get on and off the toilet, or in and out of bed herself. "She does a great winged eyeliner, though," she said. Due to the way her bones were bending, her lungs were becoming restricted as well, which compromised her immune system. "When she gets sick, she gets really sick, so keeping her off the ground is important," Ms Jackson said. The family had been renting a place for four years and had approval from the owners to make $8000 in NDIS-approved accessible modifications. But the house was put on the market, and they had to move out within four weeks. While the new rental place is all one floor, they do not have approval to make modifications and Louella's wheelchair can't get through the front door. "We need an entry ramp, widened entry doorway, accessible paddle taps, a fixed toilet seat, and a shower chair with a detachable showerhead," Ms Jackson said. She said they would have to wait another 12 months to reapply for NDIS funding for housing modifications. "She can't use that little scooter for another six months, and we don't have another solution." The couple said a portion of donated funds could go towards a deposit on a property where they could make permanent modifications or to supplement home modifications, as the NDIS would not cover everything they needed. "Because of the changing dynamic of her disability, we don't know what she is going to need in the next year, and the NDIS needs to know that," Ms Jackson said. With three dependents, Louella, her brother Leo, 4, and her sister Harriet, 10, getting a deposit for a new home was "impossible", Ms Jackson said. Last month, the Newcastle Herald reported that NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Mr Hearne said they decided to look for accessible solutions because at 20-something kilograms, Louella was getting too heavy to carry every 10 minutes. "She wants her independence, but you just can't give it to her," he said. Ms Jackson said she was a gritty, tough and emotionally intelligent little girl. "The goal is just to make life in a wheelchair as comfortable as possible," she said.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Boat reverses over Aussie teen in Thai snorkelling disaster
An Australian teenager has narrowly survived a terrifying ordeal while on a family holiday in Thailand. Kiah Bell-Parsons was snorkelling near the popular tourist destination of Phi Phi Island with her mother, Nat and sister, Kelsie, when the horrific incident occurred. After visiting multiple locations in search of the perfect snorkelling spot, the tour guide assured the family it was safe to swim. But moments after they entered the water, tragedy struck unexpectedly when another boat reversed over the 13-year-old. 'The boat let them out to snorkel, and while I don't know Phi Phi island, where she was let out to snorkel was very busy with boats,' family friend, Gabrielle Brennan, revealed to 'Nat was still on the during that time, another boat reversed over Kiah while she was snorkelling. 'Kiah was face down in the water and there was just so much blood. At that point, Nat thought she (Kiah) was dead.' The Sydney teen, who suffered two skull fractures, a broken eye socket and was vomiting blood at one point, was initially taken to a local medical centre on the island for stitches before being transferred to a hospital on the mainland. However, due to a significant language barrier, Kiah was moved to a private hospital. According to Ms Brennan, staff at the facility wouldn't begin treatment without first receiving confirmation of payment. Ms Brennan, who is involved in Kiah's netball club, has launched a fundraiser to help cover the costs of her medical treatment. Just over $28,000 has been raised from 326 donations, almost reaching the $30,000 goal. 'Kiah is not just a valued member of our netball community; she is also the sister of Kelsie and daughter of Nat, both of whom have been active and inspiring members of our netball club,' the message on GoFundMe reads. 'This is a tough time for them, and I believe that coming together as a team can provide some comfort and support. 'Let's show Kiah and her family that they are not alone in this difficult journey, and that we stand with them as a united community.' The incident has raised serious questions about why the group was allowed to enter the water without any supervision or safety personnel monitoring tourists in the area. Ms Brennan said: 'Because the company had said 'yes, it's ok to snorkel', Nat assumed it was safe and let the girls go into the water. It was close to the shore, and she is now frustrated that nobody was monitoring tourists swimming while the boat was anchored.'
