The morning Kateri Byrnes was set to leave again for The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, her mum Anastasia sat crying on the couch.
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"Kateri walked in to the room with a bounce in her step and said, 'Good morning Mummy'," Anastasia recalled.
"Her incredible attitude snapped me right out of my own sadness - she is a wonderful example in terms of enduring suffering."
The 14-year-old Jindera school girl recently suffered a devastating setback when the family learned the cancer they thought she had beaten had returned.
There was always a chance the cancer would return, Anastasia said.
"We were holding on to hope that she wouldn't get it back but they had given her a 50 per cent chance," she explained.
"I was in tears, but she held it together. She's pretty strong."
Dad James, who works for Albury Wodonga Health, will again accompany his eldest daughter to Melbourne for the gruelling six to nine months of treatment she will need to beat this cancer.
Anastasia will hold the fort at home in Jindera with the couple's eight other children, including 2-month-old baby Ezekiel.
Kateri won't be allowed home for Christmas and it's unlikely she'll make it out in time for her birthday in April next year.
Anastasia and the children will set off on Saturday to stay at a friend's house in Melbourne until about mid-January when the older children start the school year at St Mary MacKillop College, Jindera.
Due to COVID-19 conditions, Kateri's brothers and sisters won't be allowed into the hospital to see their beloved sister but Anastasia is desperately hoping her eldest daughter might be allowed out for Christmas Day.
In the mean-time they keep in touch with daily video calls and lots of prayers.
Once again the school and wider Jindera community has extended its loving arm of support to the family; Anastasia said a friend had started a meal train and garden maintenance program to help lighten the load.
Jindera Take-Away owner Fiona Brown is donating the proceeds of 200 coffees this week as well as accepting donations on behalf of the family.
"It's beautiful to be supported by the Jindera community," said Anastasia, who added it was also "very humbling".
Kateri will continue her studies on the days she is well enough and keeps busy with puzzles, reading and a new-found love of drawing.
How you can help:
- Fiona Brown, at Jindera Take-Away, is donating the proceeds of 200 regular coffees this week and taking donations to help support Kateri and her family while she undergoes extensive cancer treatment at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne for the next 6-9 months. Phone (02) 6026 3223 for more details.