I'm holding an event to raise funds for Bear Cottage!
On the 21st February 2024, Aria Zimmermann lost her battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Most of you never got the chance to meet Aria but you probably know her little brother Lucas, who is a joyful (and loud) member of the Busy Butterflies at Jennys Mortlake.
Aria was a vibrant and beautiful little girl, loved by her friends and adored by her family. Her favourite people, teachers, nurses and even her doctors would all agree she had a wisdom far beyond her years. She loved nothing more than to dance on stage, play with her friends and dote on her little brother. In September 2022, without warning, she was diagnosed with leukemia and so began her heartbreaking fight with this insidious disease, which included 8 months of hospital isolation at Westmead Children’s Hospital. Treatment for childhood cancer is not all smiling bald children. It is torturous. It is outdated. It is heartbreaking.
After 17 brave months, Aria was placed into palliative care and we found ourselves at Bear Cottage, a hospice and respite facility for children. I wish there wasn’t a need for a place like Bear Cottage, but I am so grateful we had it. They are solely dedicated to providing a safe, loving and beautiful space that is nothing like the hospital life most of these children have known. During our time at Bear Cottage, Aria finally got to be a child again. She got to play with animals, wheelchair race the halls with her little brother, go to the beach, play with friends who came to visit and we got to spend quality time with our baby girl without the stress of being responsible for her medical care. I will be forever thankful to Bear Cottage and the people who work and volunteer there. It really is a place like no other.
