CHRISTMAS is supposed to be a joyous time but for Roma teenager Ebony Knayer and her family, Christmas was the start of a battle they never expected to come up against.
The 12-year-old Roma State College student noticed her abdomen was extremely bloated the week before December 25 and went to the doctor for a check up expecting it to be a minor diagnosis.
She was taken for an ultrasound, admitted to hospital on Christmas Eve before doctors operated on Boxing Day to remove a 3.7 kilogram ovarian germ cell tumour.
Ebony has now had to temporarily leave behind her home, a 320 acre property outside of Roma, to undergo five rounds of chemotherapy at the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane.
For the outdoorsy girl who loves animals, especially horses, it’s not easy.
Ebony’s mother, Danielle Knayer said, just like most parents, she never expected her child to have to go through such a medical battle.
“That’s the hard thing, seeing your child go through it and questioning why?” she said.
“Especially when she says, ‘Why have I got this? Why does my hair have to fall out?’.
“You can’t answer it and you just want to make it better.”
Danielle and her husband Michael have four other children, Maddison, 18, Brianna, 15, Isabella, 10 and Fraser, 8, and are now trying to keep “two households going” in the city and the country.
In a bid to help with the travel and medical expenses and ensure the family are able to bring Ebony home for visits, a gofundme page has been set up.
So far the fund from both online and personal donations have surpassed $6000.
Heidi Westbrook established the gofundme page through her work with Global Care, a social justice and disaster relief arm of International Network of Churches.
She said the Knayer family had done so much for the community, it was time the community helped them.
“They have given to community events, they are always involved in anything to do with schools and their kids do sporting things,” she said.
“I think its one of those things, you always put yourself in their position and I couldn’t do it (if it were me) without the help of my community.
“I think that’s how most people think out here.”
Ms Knayer said Ebony was staying strong and the whole family were trying to stay positive.
“The prognosis is pretty good and they (the doctors) are quietly confident,” she said.
To support the Knayer family visit www.gofundme.com/3b9ln3c