The Walk

19/03/2026

I’m so blown away by your generosity!

💛Thank you
💛Thank you
💛Thank you

🤑$871 raised so far 🤑

I’m increasing my goal to $1000! With 11 days to go 👑

🚶‍♀️50km down🚶‍♀️

https://86k.co/k/BeverRus

09/03/2026

It’s been a while! 💛 But you are all often in our thoughts and we talk about our wonderful community often!

I wanted to drop in and say hi. To let you know Ayden had his 3 monthly appointment today with his oncologist.

He’s going great guns!

He’s 2.5 years out of treatment.

He won’t get the all clear until he is 5 years post treatment, thats 7.5 years after diagnosis.

TRUTH: Without research he may not be alive today. Ayden was on a high risk treatment protocol that was engineered for him individually.

We are eternally grateful for all of the work that has gone into research so that kids can have better outcomes.

BUT we need more better outcomes for kids!

The 5-year relative survival rate for children aged 0–14 for all cancers steadily increased from 71% in 1986–1991 to 84% in 2010–2015!

We need to get that number to 💯 !

That’s why I’m walking 86k’s this March - for the 86 children diagnosed EVERY MONTH in Australia.

If you are able to spare even a fiver ($5) Please support my challenge to help find a cure for childhood cancer and save lives 🙏

Beverley is taking part in 86K for a Cure to help find a cure for childhood cancer. Donate now!

06/09/2025

While most people havent heard of many childhood cancers, I bet they've heard of leukemia.

Thats because Leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children.

But do you know what it actually is? It is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, where the body produces abnormal white blood cells that crowd out healthy ones. This makes it harder for a child’s body to fight infections, stop bleeding, and carry oxygen.

There are different types of leukemia in children, with the most common being:

🎗️ ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) the most common childhood leukemia
🎗️ AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) this onenis less common, but typically more aggressive

Leukemia used to be one of the toughest cancers, but thanks to research in the last decades, outcomes have improved significantly 💛. However, the life long side effects of treatment can be very hard and will likely need to be monitored for life.

🎗️

30/08/2025

24/05/2025

It’s 24th May which means it’s…

🎗️ 🙏💛🏆GRATITUDE DAY 🏆💛🙏 🎗️

4 years ago at this time Ayden and I were at Robina hospital being told that the doctors are not sure what’s going on but they are taking blood and within the hour they were talking with the Brisbane Children’s Hosptial.

I lay in bed with Ayden tonight and I asked what he remembered about that night. We talked about it, shed a tear or two and then he looked up with a big grin on his face and said “you gotta do better than that to stop me God, I got lots of living to do”.

And to that I had no words.
Just joyful, proud tears.

There have been many, many difficult days since Ayden finished treatment. When the people around you say “you did it.” “You got through the toughest times.”

You know what, yeah we did. And that’s what today is about. Celebrating all that has been achieved in spite of the upheaval.

But I’ve always been real. And the reality is, trauma and grief take its toll in so many ways. We are still crippled some days with hurt, grief, loss, pain, what ifs. They will be with us forever.

But like loosing a loved one.
You learn how to live your new normal carrying that heavy load.

Yes, today is gratitude day and we celebrate for all that we have gained AND acknowledging the pain and grief that will be always there…because ignoring it is sweeping it under the carpet and that’s not healthy for any of us.

Cheers to all of you for being here with us for the past 4 years 🥂🍻💙🧡❤️‍🩹

29/03/2025

This is what 18 months post treatment looks like 🥰 (almost 4 years since diagnosis)

Year 6 - Wellbeing Leader
Playing Baseball ⚾️
Playing OzTag 🏉
High school scholarship exam ✔️
High school interview ✔️
Eating lots of pizza 🍕 and ice cream 🍦
Fishing 🎣 , boating 🚤
Annoying his sister 😉

2 monthly bloods and hospital check ups which are always on track 👍

There is also some deep work being done behind the scenes-unravelling the trauma and creating our new normal with gratitude in our hearts.
♥️ 🎗️🧡

09/09/2024

For more than 2 years this was Ayden’s reality, along with all the children that go through treatment for blood cancer. Because they are either too physically ill to go anywhere or the risk of infection is so high that we had to say no.

In the big scheme of things, 2 years is not that big a chunk of your life when the average life expectancy is 80+ years...

But in the eyes of a 7 year old, having the freedom to play with your friends is everything.

image from: I draw childhood cancer.

03/09/2024

The below facts and figures have been provided by The Australian Childhood Cancer Registry, one of only a few complete national databanks for childhood cancer in the world.

🎗️ It is estimated that, on average, about 750 children aged 0-14 years old are diagnosed with cancer each year in Australia.

🎗️ Leukaemias are the most common type of cancer diagnosed among Australian children, accounting for around one third (33%) of all cases.

🎗️ The incidence rate of all childhood cancers combined in Australia has increased significantly by a total of 35% between 1983 and 2014.

🎗️ There is an average of 101 cancer deaths per year for children under the age of 15 in Australia.

24/05/2024

It’s GRATITUDE DAY! 24th May!

3 years has passed since diagnosis. I was literally waiting in the Robina hospital at this time 3 years ago, for David to bring up our bags ready to be ambulanced up to Brisbane. A mess of emotions and so scared of what was about to happen. In a matter of hours Ayden would start chemotherapy and our wild ride would begin.

As I reflect on all that has been, I cannot help but feel so much happiness as to where we are today.

At this present time, after a few years of patiently (well most of the time…sometimes not so patiently) looking for our forever home, we are finally living in our dream location - one that we would not have purchased if it wasn’t for our past experiences.

Not in our wildest dreams 3 years ago would we have believed that today we would be living our best lives 💛💚

💛 Both Ayden and Charlotte are thriving and living a “normal” happy childhood…

Gymnastics, tennis, trumpet and flute lessons, paddle boarding, swimming, digging holes in the sand, building sand castles, fishing, learning to wake board, riding bikes, scooters and skateboards, backyard cricket. Watching trashy TV, playing Mindcraft and Mario Cart, bantering with friends and each other.

💛 6 weekly blood tests and hospital checkups and psychology appointments are our norm, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the support and expertise that we have access to.

💛 Camping and fun filled experiences with cancer support groups amongst some of the most resilient, strong, caring and loving families we have ever met.

💛 Play dates, sleep overs, new and long term friends, sharing life with amazing humans we choose to have in our circle.

I know there is so much more to come.
Our lives are full.
Our hearts are full.

We are thankful 🌻🌺🌟🌞🌈

29/03/2024

This is what 6 months post treatment looks like…

Our blonde curly haired boy is back.

6 weekly bloods and checkup at the hospital continues...and the last check up resulted in the best blood levels so far 💪👊

Kicking goals and we couldn’t be prouder of both Charlotte and Ayden 💖💙

It hasn’t been an easy 6 months since the treatment has finished. We have been lying low as we work through the trauma of the past 3 years. It will take a long time to unpack and adjust to our new lives. But gratitude is the forefront of our minds every day.

16/11/2023

Ring this Bell, Three times well,
It’s toll to clearly say,
My treatment’s done,
the course is run,
and now I’m on my way!

The number of times we have walked past this board and bell on 5c I can’t count. Each time it felt like a really really long way away, yet I always knew this day would come.

On Tuesday 14th November 2023, Ayden finally got to ring that bell 🔔
The symbolism is huge.
He’s done.
He’s on his way.

We decided to coincide this day with his first 6 week checkup post chemo and in true Ayden style, he passed with flying colours!

As it’s such a significant event, we stayed in Brisbane for a night and enjoyed some activities that we have said NO to for two and a half years:

Swam in the lagoon at Southbank 💦
Ate ice-cream just because 🍦
Walked, jumped, hopped 🏃
Giggles, belly laughs 😂
Rode the wheel 🎡
Ate ribs with super awesome fiends 👫
Buffet breakfast 🥞
Hotel room fun 🏨
Played mini golf ⛳️
Lunch & cuddles with family
And rang that bell 🔔 🔔 🔔

His favourite nurse was there along with other superstars that have journeyed with us in the hospital. The Psychologist who used hypnosis at a time when things were super tough and our Oncologist who literally saved his life.

Forever indebted and grateful for these angels 😇.