Just seeing Lola Clark flash a bright smile again and have a fifth birthday to look forward to on Monday means the world to her mother Laura Clark.
Ever since the Lake Macquarie three-year-old was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in January 2025 it has been a harrowing journey of chemotherapy, invasive procedures, long John Hunter Hospital admissions and serious complications, including veno-occlusive disease.
"I use the word rugged, because it just encapsulates the last 18 months, and she's still got another six or so months of active treatment," Ms Clark said.
"Two years is a long time for a child to have to endure surgeries and chemotherapy.
"The last couple of months have felt a little bit lighter and had a little bit more normality for her because she's been able to return to preschool in between treatments.
"So it's nice to see her smile come back and for her to be able to celebrate milestones with her peers as opposed to just being stuck in a hospital bed or at home with her family."
Community has been central to the Cooranbong-based family's journey since Lola's diagnosis.
Outside friends and family, which includes Ms Clark's father and radio king Ray Hadley, there's also been assistance from children's cancer charity Camp Quality.
That has included a well-needed break at Umina Beach Holiday Park and trips to Hunter Valley Gardens and the movies.
The Clark family is giving back to Camp Quality on Saturday with the Calories for Camp Quality Challenge at Cardiff's Uprise Health and Fitness gym.
Ms Clark is a friend of the gym owner, Haylee Toohey, and together they've devised a challenge.
Teams will exercise for 140 minutes and see who can burn the most calories.
So far 20 teams of six people have signed up for the challenge.
"The number 140 is significant because over 140 lives are lost every day to cancer," Ms Clark said.
Ms Clark and her husband Brad also have two other daughters, Ava, 8, and Remi, 2.
She said childhood cancer was a diagnosis that the whole family endures.
"Our oncologist said, 'This is a family illness. It's going to affect not just Lola, but you her parents, grandparents, cousins, and sisters," she said.
"It has really impacted our family. She, in herself, is doing really well. She responded to treatment, which obviously is more than you could ask for.
"She has had a few setbacks in terms of pretty severe and high-risk complications to the chemotherapy itself, which have been really scary along the way, which is why I say the journey's just super rugged, because you think you're going smoothly and then you just get smashed with something or hit with something that you don't expect.
"You're very much waiting with bated breath every day just to see what the next week brings."
The experience of Lola's leukaemia battle also inspired Ms Clark to launch her own organisation in January, called The Light We Found.
It's essentially a support network for families going through childhood cancer.
In April, a fundraiser organised by The Light We Found at Merewether Surfhouse raised $15,000 for the John Hunter Children's Hospital oncology ward.
Ms Clark also hopes to keep building the organisation to keep providing support and resources to families battling cancer amid the massive financial and emotional stress that comes with a diagnosis.
"The financial impact alone for many families is huge," she said.
"They rely on GoFundMe, they rely on family support just to put food on the table for themselves and their other children.
"That's the reality of what we are seeing right now and what I see and hear from other parents going through this.
"If it weren't for the generosity of strangers sometimes, I don't think many people would be able to actually get through this unscathed and still in their homes."
