3-year-old Sienna, or ‘Sissy’ to her family, is a fiery and affectionate little lady who loves dancing and wearing pretty dresses.

Sienna’s journey started last June when her mum, Shawnee, noticed what seemed to be an innocent mosquito bite on her daughter’s arm whilst away on a family holiday.

But unlike a mosquito bite, it never went away. The spot actually became increasingly sore, was itchy and would sometimes bleed.

Sienna’s GP suspected a staph infection, but her mum pushed for a referral to a dermatologist who they were finally able to see in October 2023.

A scraping was performed, and pathology results indicated the presence of atypical cells. Surgical removal was recommended, but her case was deemed ‘non-urgent.’

Sienna was referred to a plastic surgeon who saw her in January 2024, telling her family that the lesion was ‘benign’ and that it was ‘normal for children to have these.’

Reassured, Sienna’s family opted for surgery through the public health system and waited around a month for an initial appointment at the hospital.

When Sienna presented at the hospital for that appointment, things quickly took a turn.

She was assessed and urgently scheduled in for an operation to remove the lesion the very next day.

On the 20th of March 2024, it was confirmed that Sienna’s lesion was melanoma.

Sienna and her family were thrown full force into the whirlwind of a childhood cancer diagnosis.

A PET scan and a fine needle aspiration then confirmed the presence of cancer cells in Sienna’s lymph nodes… the disease had progressed to stage 3.

A full axillary lymph node dissection was performed to remove the affected lymph nodes, as well as a wider excision of the original lesion area and a port implanted.

At just 3 years old, Sienna has endured more invasive surgeries than most adults experience in their lifetime.

Her melanoma is genetic, with a history of the cancer on both sides of the family.

Sienna has now started a year-long course of an immunotherapy treatment called Nivolumab – she will receive fortnightly infusions. 

Speaking about the courage of kids battling cancer, Sienna’s mum reflects, “We marvel at their bravery and resilience, but these qualities should be forged by scraped knees on the playground, not by fighting cancer.” 💔

Sienna should be free to dance up a storm, enjoy daycare, and play with her brother Byron and dog Rocky.

Sienna, we’re riding for YOU this October!