Join Eli's Pit Crew: One-year-olds cancer battle sparks fundraising mission
This is sponsored content for Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.
The role of neuroblastoma crusader is one Keanna Costa never wanted nor expected to find herself in, but the diagnosis of her young son, Eli, has led her and husband Fiore on a passionate journey to raise awareness of the disease.
Eli's fight began in July 2023, when a worsening of the then six-month old's persistent cough resulted in an ambulance trip to Canberra Hospital.
This was followed by an air transfer to Sydney and an eventual diagnosis of neuroblastoma - a rare cancer that develops in nerve tissue, typically affecting young children.
"I knew something was very wrong and I just kept taking him to doctors. That's part of the issue with childhood cancer, it's not well known so it just gets written off all the time as common illnesses," Keanna said.
Eli was found to have tumours from his neck to his pelvis. An intensive six-month treatment regime followed at the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick, involving chemotherapy, steroids and radiation.
With the family's life turned upside down, it was December before Eli was well enough to return home to Canberra.
During Eli's treatment, Keanna and Fiore embraced running as a stress-management tool.
This led to the creation of a team in the Canberra Times Marathon Festival in April, triggering a flood of donations totalling more than $4000 and igniting the couple's fundraising spark.
A Lifeblood donation team was soon established, followed by the creation of a digital home for the family's fundraising efforts, Eli's Pit Crew.
"Fundraising wasn't something we set out to do, but I think you go through what we have and instead of letting it be something traumatic and horrible that you survive, we wanted to try and turn it into something positive that could also help other kids," Keanna said.
"Eli's so young that if he relapses, science can change a lot between now and two years or five years later. We want to try and raise awareness and fundraising now to help him in the future, but also to help those kids who are going to be diagnosed.
"For neuroblastoma, there's only about 40 to 50 kids in Australia every year that get diagnosed, but for those kids, it will tear their family apart and it will often rip them from their homes like we were."
Keanna wears many hats. When she's not an oncology mum and fundraising champion, she's a Digital Specialist at Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC), the fund that looks after the superannuation of those who serve Australia.
She uses her wizardry to help ensure a smooth digital experience for more than 745,000 customers, continually uplifting a website filled with information on super products designed specifically for current and former members of the Australian Public Service (APS) and Australian Defence Force (ADF).
"I started working at CSC because of the flexibility. It allowed me to take care of Eli while also taking care of CSC's members," she said.
"My manager has been super supportive, and working with my team and doing what we do has made it really easy to look after Eli and still have a career focus for me."
Almost a year since his diagnosis, Eli is now a thriving one year old. While not cancer-free, his condition is stable, and his family and medical team closely monitor his health while ensuring he gets to enjoy an active and happy life.
"He's turning two in a few months so it's pretty exciting that he's a healthy and thriving toddler nowgrowing and he's healthy and he's just like a normal toddler now," Keanna said.
You can also learn more about CSC by visiting the website, maintained by Keanna and her team.
