“First I had cancer, then my son was diagnosed with the disease too”

But brave mum says they are a ‘family of survivors’

Portrait of Tammy Strobel
But brave mum says they are a ‘family of survivors’
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Christina Skaros and her younger son Samuel have an unbreakable bond – they have both beaten cancer, inspiring and supporting each other through the toughest fight of their lives. “I was just recovering from a gruelling year-long battle with breast cancer when Samuel became sick,” Christina shares.

“When doctors diagnosed him with leukemia, it was the beginning of a living nightmare.” Christina, Samuel, now seven, and his older brother Kristopher, nine, were playing in the garden in their Sydney home on a cool day four years ago, but even while he was all bundled up, Samuel was shivering. Christina checked his temperature and couldn’t believe it when the thermometer read 40 C.

He was red-hot and nothing would bring his temperature down, she says. Minutes later, he was unconscious on the floor. “It was terrifying,” she recalls. “I can’t describe what it’s like to see your three-year-old little boy lifeless before you.”

Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, where the distraught mother ran through the worst-case scenarios in her head. “My biggest fear was meningitis,” she says.

Over the next week, doctors ran tests and eventually Samuel was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia – the most common childhood cancer.
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“I couldn’t believe it at first,” Christina, 47, says. “I was having treatment for breast cancer, and now here was my baby boy facing the same battle I’d just endured. It was heartbreaking.” A year before, Christina was delivered her cancer diagnosis after finding a lump in her right breast. “I was only 42 – it came as a bit of a shock,” she recalls.

“I was devastated.”

She had surgery to remove the lump and started a gruelling course of chemotherapy, but doctors warned that her life was still under threat. “They told me there was a high chance my ovaries could be affected by this type of breast cancer, too,” she says. “As a mother, I couldn’t afford the risk. All that mattered to me was being with my kids, so it was an easy choice to fight.”

She endured treatments that made her sick and extremely weak. “Thankfully, I responded well and the doctors were thrilled with my progress,” she recalls, happy to be in remission.

At a time when her own health should have been paramount, Christina did everything she could to help Samuel on the road to recovery.

“He was so brave throughout the whole ordeal, even when he was being poked and prodded,” she says. “But it was awful to see him weakened by chemo the same way I was. He couldn’t even get out of bed.”

With Samuel so small, Christina made the heart-wrenching decision not to tell him exactly what was wrong with him.

“He was so tiny and I didn’t want him to be scared,” she explains. “When he was in hospital, he thought he was being treated for a broken leg.” For months, Christina camped out by Samuel’s bedside. This had a devastating effect on Kristopher, who was only five at the time. “One day at the hospital he completely rejected me,” Christina reveals sadly, tearing up at the memory of his devastating words. “When I asked him what was wrong, he said, ‘Mummy, you don’t love me anymore.’” Christina and her boys were offered the chance to attend a family retreat, hosted by cancer charity Camp Quality, something that helped not only Samuel, but the whole family.

“It was great because it wasn’t just for Samuel, it was about Kristopher as well,” she explains.

“We went horseback riding and played other outdoor games with other children in the same situation. It was amazing to spend time together as a family.”

Thankfully, Samuel fought the blood cancer with all his might and now, four years on, he’s in remission, too, and closer than ever to his mum and brother.

Eager to help other families suffering the devastating effects of cancer, Christina now gives back to Camp Quality, since she credits them with helping her through their most challenging times. Last year, she hosted a Dine at Mine fundraising dinner for Camp Quality, and made a traditional Filipino feast in her home for guests. It raised AUD $900 ($933), a figure she intends to match.

Christina is hopeful for seven-year-old Samuel’s future and hers, now that they have regained their health.

“Not so long ago he was so sick he couldn’t walk and I had to push him around in a pram,” she says. “Now he’s running around in our backyard. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe we’re both still here.”