Beth Lefevre

Her name is Julia & she’s my little sister, another sunflower lover & ray of sunshine.

She’s 23 years old living with Neurofibromatosis (NF) which is a genetic disorder that causes tumours to grow on nerves, including the brain & spine. It is progressive, unpredictable, & currently there is no cure. She was an aspiring Early Childhood Education & Care Educator at Wonderschool Conder, located in Canberra’s far south. As well as working in the field, which she loved (& they ADORED her!), she was studying full-time to become a qualified Early Childhood Teacher – her dream career. NF never stopped her from doing the things she loved or exploring the world; she has skydived three times & bungee jumped too.

Last year in August, we found out that she had a sarcoma tumour on her left thigh & after surgery, she was back at work only after two weeks of recovery. She then completed 30 rounds of radiation, waking up at 6:30am each morning to have treatment by 7:30am, & then travel to work & work a full day. She loved her job, seeing the children each day made her day, even though it meant those days super long.

Unfortunately, on New Year's Eve, she ended up getting worse in her overall health & once again was back in the ER. Tests were finally run & the news, which no one expected or wanted, came. The cancer was back & had metastasised - it has spread to other body parts & she has been classed as terminal.

Aggressive chemo started a week later to help give her the best possible outcome of more time to spend with her loved ones & those she cares about.

Over the next few months, the Wonder Team will host events to raise money for the Children’s Tumour Foundation (CTF), which is an organisation who helps support families & individuals living with NF.

Julia was born a fighter & we’re all so unbelievably proud of her that this will help fund research in the future, as tumours should never be a person’s normal.

She’s here to fight. I'll be right by her.