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Funding will allow the family to fly their daughters down and spend more time together during Rowen’s treatment. Photo supplied
The Burdekin has rallied behind a local family after a sudden medical diagnosis turned their life upside-down.
Ryan and Holly Davenport dropped everything when their two-year-old son, Rowen, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last month, temporarily relocating to Brisbane for his ongoing treatment.
In response, a GoFundMe fundraiser has since raised over $55,000 in support of the family.
Created in late May by Shannon Malone, a close friend of the Davenports, the fundraiser has been shared all over Facebook and Instagram by local organisations, garnering comments of support on top of 271 individual donations.
“Words can’t describe how much it means to us to have everyone’s support behind Rowen as he begins his journey,” Ryan said.
“They have given us precious time to spend with Rowen without the everyday worries.”
The money will help fund hospital stays, travel, time away from work, and ongoing treatment expenses as the Home Hill family navigates a medical journey that began in April.
Already on edge after daughter, Ally, underwent brain surgery to have a cavernoma removed just before Easter, Ryan and Holly acted promptly when they noticed a twitch in Rowen’s eye.
Following weeks of consultations with Townsville doctors and specialists—which included MRI scans and a Royal Flying Doctors flight—Rowen was eventually diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma, a slow-growing brain tumour.
He has since been transferred to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane for chemotherapy, with the couple leaving their two young daughters with their grandparents in the Burdekin to be by his side.
In their absence, locals have offered meals, helped on the family’s sugar cane farm, assisted around their home and helped look after their daughters, along with the generous donations.
Ryan said the funds raised would not just help relieve the financial burden of Rowen’s treatment, but allow the flexibility to fly their daughters down and spend some time as a family.
“(The toughest part has been) the unknown, not having our family together … and watching Rowen go through these traumatic times and … not being able to do anything,” Ryan said.
“It has been a very emotional journey so far, and it is hard to believe we are only at the start.”
Anyone wanting to support the Davenports is urged to donate using the following link, or scan the QR Code:
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