From Facing the Unthinkable to A Future of Hope: Josh’s Journey with CAR T-Cell Therapy

A childhood cancer diagnosis is heartbreaking, and for some families, when treatments fail, the unimaginable becomes a reality. But thanks to research funded by Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF), there is new hope for children with hard-to-treat cancers.

Josh, a typical 16-year-old who loves skateboarding and video games, faced a devastating diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. After multiple treatments failed, his family prepared for the unthinkable: Josh entering palliative care. But a revolutionary treatment—CAR T-cell therapy—turned his life around. Today, Josh is in remission and his future is bright.

His journey began with what seemed like a simple bruise. After abnormal blood test results, his mother Kerryn recalls, “One of the doctors came to see me, and it was a doctor who had the word Paediatric Oncologist on her badge. And I thought, oh my gosh, you’re the last person I ever wanted to see.”

Josh’s cancer was deemed high-risk, and didn’t respond to chemotherapy, so Josh had a bone marrow transplant within the first year of his diagnosis. Sadly, the transplant didn’t succeed, and his cancer returned. “He didn’t really respond as quickly as they say you usually do, and quite soon… he had relapsed. He still had leukaemia,” Kerryn shares.

With few options left, doctors offered CAR T-cell therapy—a groundbreaking treatment that reprograms a patient’s immune cells to fight cancer. The treatment works by harvesting a patient’s T-cells, then strengthening them in a lab and reinfusing them into the body to fight the cancer.

Unfortunately, Josh’s first attempt at the therapy failed, and his condition worsened. “That was a really hard time, a really dark time,” says Kerryn. “That’s when the doctor mentioned Josh having some palliative care involvement.”

Thankfully, a second T-cell harvest was successful, and weeks later, Josh was in remission. “For us to have had CAR T-cell as an option has just been life-changing,” Kerryn says.

Now, Josh is living a normal teenage life— going to school, working part-time, and making plans for his future.

Thanks to SCHF-funded research, CAR T-cell therapy is being explored for other childhood cancers. With your support of the Sydney Sick Kids Appeal, more kids like Josh could be given that same chance at hope.

Visit SCHF.org.au to learn more and donate today.