Beau’s Story
Beau is an energetic country kid, always running around and sporting new bruises. So when he was lethargic for nearly two weeks with recurring high fevers, his mum Erin knew something wasn’t right. After a trip to the doctor and a quick blood test across the road, they headed home. Just an hour later, the phone rang—the doctor was sending Beau straight to Sydney.
It was a blur. Erin was in shock and could hardly think what to pack. Thankfully, her husband Jamie happened to be home early that day to care for their other kids, Lilly and Hudson.
Beau’s first plane ride was in an ambulance aircraft, headed for the emergency department at Westmead Hospital. Within 30 hours of arriving, Beau had undergone six blood transfusions, had surgery to insert a central line, and received his first round of chemotherapy. To make things even harder, he had tested positive for COVID, so he and Erin were placed in isolation.
The diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Erin was handed a spreadsheet outlining Beau’s complex treatment plan—some medications would run for weeks, some required hospital stays, others meant daily visits from Ronald McDonald House, where they were staying. Many parts of the plan had to be delayed when Beau was too unwell.
On top of everything, Beau was homesick. “He just wanted to be a kid,” Erin said. “He hated missing out on everything happening back home.”
Unlike most of the other families with kids having cancer treatment, Beau’s family couldn’t just pop in for a visit, living 375km away in Forbes. But Jamie made the 10-hour round trip with Lilly and Hudson as often as possible, trying to create memories whenever they could. With rising fuel costs, Can Assist supported the family with fuel vouchers to ease the burden.
Over the nine months of treatment in Sydney, Beau made it home just twice. During one visit, he wanted nothing more than to see his friends. He wasn’t allowed inside the school, but his mates rushed to the gates at recess just to say hi.
Beau completed his intensive treatment and moved into the maintenance stage—15 months of daily oral chemo tablets, which he finished in March 2025. Now he’s focused on regaining his strength and body mass. He remains on antibiotics while his immune system recovers, with regular blood tests, and specialist check-ins every 12 weeks at Westmead.
Returning home wasn’t as easy as it sounded. After nine months of hospital life, the adjustment was emotional and intense. “We’d been in survival mode,” Erin said. “Now I had to re-learn how to just be a mum again.”
Can Assist helped the Hartwig family beyond fuel vouchers—they also paid for some of Beau’s chemotherapy costs at Christmas time. “When you’re dealing with so many unexpected expenses, it was such a relief,” Erin said. “We could just focus on making memories together as a family.”
“Thank you, Can Assist. No one ever wants to ask for help, but you’re there when we need it most. Thank you for supporting country families like ours.”
