Rosie’s home and excited for 2018 after a year battling cancer

The Wangaratta 10-year-old is finally home, 282 days post-diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

First on her to-do list was a big hug for mum Vanessa and brother Zack – who stayed home while she and dad Travis went to Ronald McDonald house – followed by a ride on her pony.

She ticked off another task on Friday; shaving the head of a family friend.

“I said to dad, ‘Okay, I’ll do it’,” Rosie said, after Ms Meagher put the idea to the family – who also raised $1500 to support them.

“I start school in February … this year for book week I’m going to dress up as Rey from The Force Awakens.”

Rosie’s been hanging out to get back to her class.

“And hanging out with Zack, even though he wants to send me back,” she said.

“I have a friend who’s still there (at Ronald McDonald), she was diagnosed in April a few days after me, she’s had way heavier treatment than me.”

Rosie will be on a maintenance program for another two years, travelling back to the Royal Children’s Hospital on a monthly basis for intravenous chemotherapy.

But being back home has lifted a weight off her, and her father’s shoulders.

“It’s not necessarily the treatment that knocks kids around, it’s secondary infection,” he said.

“We had a couple scares with Rosie where we were rushing across to the hospital at 1am with her fever spiking at 41 degrees.”

Rosie’s got to be careful – the chemotherapy has left her with brittle bones – in fact their very first night home in three months she and Travis spent in the Wangaratta emergency department.

“She’s been riding her quadbike and got back fine, came inside and slipped off the footrest and broke her arm,” Travis said.

“She’s an impressive kid; she’s put up with a lot of nasty stuff.

“It was a long, tough year but there were good things to come out of it too – the support has been incredible between Ronald McDonald House, colleagues, friends and everyone else.

“It restores a lot of your faith in humanity.”