Ready for the future

By Tania Martin
COREY Halliday is living proof that anything is possible.
The 15-year-old Boronia youth has survived a rare condition, battled leukaemia and is now looking forward to a healthy life.
Corey knows just how important it is to raise cash for the Monash Medical Centre Cancer Unit.
He is one of many that have benefited from the Fun Run with Thomas appeal over the past eight years.
Each year the appeal raises more than $60,000 for the unit and aims to do even better this year.
It will be held on Sunday 15 November from 10am in Gembrook.
Corey was diagnosed with a rare condition called Kostmanns syndrome at just six weeks old.
It’s a hereditary disorder of the bone marrow and children born with it lack neutrophils, which is a type of white blood cell.
His mother, Amanda, said this meant Corey didn’t have an immune system like most kids his age.
“He was a great baby but he kept getting these recurring abscesses,” Ms Halliday said.
At the time, Corey was only the second case diagnosed in Victoria and was one out of five in Australia.
“We were gob smacked,” Ms Halliday said.
Corey could have had a bone marrow transplant when he was just three in an attempt to find a cure.
But Ms Halliday said there had never been one done in Australia for this particular condition.
“They were not using my son as a guinea pig,” she said.
For the past 15 years Corey’s life has consisted of finding a way to cope with his condition.
But last year, it got even worse for the Hallidays.
Corey started to get sicker and no one seemed to be able to tell them why.
He was suffering from a recurring rash.
He was then diagnosed with leukaemia in January last year.
Prior to being diagnosed, Corey was due to undergo a bone marrow transplant for his condition but it had to be postponed.
He then underwent two lots of chemotherapy to kill off the leukaemia.
Corey then had a third bout of chemotherapy to kill of all his blood cells, both good and bad, before he could have the bone marrow transplant.
He is now the picture of health and his family hope that the transplant has cured his syndrome.
Ms Halliday said the Fun Run with Thomas was a fabulous cause.
This year organisers aim to raise cash for the cancer unit to look at ways to help parents and children with the transition back to school.
Ms Halliday said a lot of parents were facing the same issues.
Registrations are now open and can be made by logging onto www.kidsfunrunwiththomas.org.au.