Teen cancer survivor celebrates super hero doctor
02 November 2020
4
min read
Just 12 months ago, 16-year-old Jasper discovered a suspicious lump in his hip while playing soccer. An examination at the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH), revealed the lump to be a sarcoma, a complex form of cancer that presents as a tumour and can appear anywhere in the body.
Despite his family’s panic and confusion, Jasper’s paediatric oncologist Dr Steve Foresto (pictured above with Jasper) became a calming presence during what Jasper’s mother, Karli, describes as the worst experience of their lives.
Now on the road to recovery, the Juiced TV Super Hero Awards, supported by QSuper, have enabled Jasper and his family to pay tribute to Dr Foresto who continues to support them through their hospital journey.
Karli said Dr Foresto had been a shining light of support, confidence and hope for the family.
"We came to the hospital on the morning after hearing Jasper had a sarcoma. We were in shock and had no information about what we were dealing with,” Karli said.
“Steve was one of the first people we met and he reassured us straight away that we didn’t know what we were looking at, but we would find out exactly what we needed to know – which helped us to breathe a little bit.”
The Super Hero Awards program was born out of QSuper’s partnership with Juiced TV and works to recognise the unsung medical ‘super heroes’ who put their patients’ interests first.
QSuper is committed to being there to protect the wellbeing of Queenslanders, in the good times and the tough ones. During uncertainty, we are dedicated to our long-term investment strategy, ensuring our members feel confident their future is in safe hands.
Dr Foresto says he’s humbled to be nominated.
“For me, the best thing [about my job] is helping families through such a difficult time as part of a large and well-supported team, and then having the ability to see them complete the therapy and thrive after,” he said.
[For Jasper] there were a lot of setbacks, with the nature of his tumour and the operation he needed, but he always saw the positive in things. Everything that came at him, he took it within his stride.
“I’d like to say thank you [to QSuper] for the effort and enthusiasm that they’ve put into [the program] because people like me are very appreciative of it.
“It’s great to see them help Juiced TV to be able to have the resources and staff to facilitate something that the kids just love being involved in.”
Jasper has finished his treatment and is undergoing scans every three months to monitor his recovery.
View the latest Juiced TV episode here.
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