Meet Zali
Zali is a bubbly two year old who loves to laugh. At age 18 months she was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis - a severe disorder of the immune system that requires chemotherapy treatment. Children in the first two years of life only have a 20% survival rate.
During the four months Zali spent in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) she was intubated and ventilated to help her breathe and suffered major organ failure eight times. Whilst in PICU doctors also discovered that Zali had a condition known as calcification of the heart and lungs, a complication causing them to harden.
Zali continued to deteriorate but her family had not lost hope. With a number of different specialised teams working on her, the family was offered a life-changing option. It was called Pamidronate, a medication typically used for children with osteoporosis. It would be the first time this treatment would be used for this particular condition.
Against all odds she recovered. Four days after being given the medication she was running around the ward and laughing like she used to.
“They say it takes a village to raise a child – it took 15 groups of experts to save Zali’s life,” said Zali’s grateful mum Lisa. “Without their extraordinary skills we would have had a funeral for our two year old by now. The Hospital gives unconditionally.”
Zali’s virus is now inactive and she is in complete remission. She is no longer an inpatient at the Hospital but visits four times a week for physiotherapy and occupational therapy and fortnightly for a check-up.
