Layla's Fight: Australia's Proton Therapy Battle

0:00On March 4th, here's the latest out of Sydney. A two-year-old girl named Leyla Davis is fighting a rare cancer called Al Viola-Rabdo Miles Arcoma in her thigh, which is spread to her pelvis. Her family won a federal funding to take her overseas for proton beam radiation therapy, a precise treatment not available in Australia. But the government denied the request under its overseas program, leaving the family to fundraise on their own. Leyla has already gone through 17 rounds of chemotherapy in 18 rounds of regular radiation, with five more to go. Doctors recommended proton therapy because it targets tumors better and spares healthy tissue, especially important for kids. Meanwhile, a planned proton center in Adelaide fell apart this year after spending over $100 million dollars with no backup plan yet. The decision has sparked outrage from Leyla's parents, who feel their daughter was dismissed due to her poor prognosis. Thousands of Australians have signed a petition, over 27,000 strong, calling for proton therapy

1:00here at home, shadow health minister Ann Rustin raised it in Parliament, blasting years of broken promises. Other families face the same nightmare, like one with a one-year-old boy getting treatment in Florida for brain cancer after a grueling, 26-hour trip. They are also crowdfunding, frustrated by Australia's empty promises on advanced care. The Prime Minister's office says they get the hardship and the health minister is working with states to fix it. But for now, families like Leyla's keep pushing for accountability and priority on kid cancer treatments down under. This episode is brought to you in partnership with our sponsor. Your pillow just got smarter. It plays your podcast and music. S-O-L-L-I-SoliPillow.com S-O-L-L-I-SoliPillow.com