2024 has been a massive year for Monash Children’s Hospital patient, Carl.
Diagnosed with a rare white blood cell disorder three years ago, he has had to juggle medical appointments with Year 12 study.
But boy has he aced it!
Carl scored an impressive 95 in his VCE and has been offered a scholarship to study for a Bachelor of Computer Science.
Over the course of his diagnosis and treatment, clinicians from at least 8 different specialist teams have cared for Carl.
‘Everyone at Monash Children’s Hospital has played a huge role in getting me to be as healthy as I am today – thank you. You have been really important to my health and well-being, and I would not have been able to score as high as I did without your help,’ said Carl.
‘They were really flexible with allowing me to fit my appointments around my school schedule and helped me to get my special provisions for my exams.’
The 18-year-old’s mum, Andrea, is proud and relieved.
‘There was one point that I thought the treatment might not work and Carl might not be even able to get to school,’ she said.
‘He has always been really, really focused throughout his treatment. Being well and working hard enabled him to reach his potential.’
Andrea is immensely grateful for the MCH team, who care for children across Melbourne’s South-East.
‘We just cannot thank them enough. We know that his condition was not easy to diagnose or treat. They reached out to international colleagues, they left no stone unturned with trying to find an answer about what was going on with him and to try and find the best treatment for him.’
‘They have never given up. We know that we only know a small portion of the work that has gone on behind the scenes, researching and discussing his case in multidisciplinary meetings.’
Carl, congratulations! We wish you all the best for university.