When Brandan was diagnosed pinch Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia past twelvemonth it felt for illustration everything other successful his life "went distant successful an instant".
The 17-year-old was forced to move from Cairns to Brisbane for Leukaemia curen and being separated from his friends, family and copy sister was devastating.
But while Brandan's crab journey was conscionable starting, Millie's was coming to a adjacent much than 2000km away.
The 16-year-old from Sydney was diagnosed pinch shape 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma successful 2023 and wrapped up six months of gruelling curen earlier this year.
Her crab travel was made much analyzable by her ADHD, terrible dyslexia, and worry diagnoses but Millie faced each situation head-on.
More than 20,000 Australians unrecorded pinch nan long-term impacts of puerility cancer, pinch up to 80 per cent experiencing lasting physical, psychological aliases societal challenges.
About 1 successful 3 survivors person to repetition a twelvemonth of schoolhouse owed to treatment-related interruptions and it tin earnestly impact their dreams for nan future.
That's wherever nan Dare to Dream Scholarship comes in, offering Australians aged 13 to 18 up to $5000 successful backing to rebuild their futures during aliases aft a crab journey.
It's nan benignant of money that will thief Brandan prosecute his passion for film, while Millie kickstarts her ain mini business.
Have you sewage a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.au
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Forced to move 1600km from home
Brandan was 16 erstwhile he received his test and had to relocate to Brisbane for crab treatment.
He's been surviving almost 16000km from location ever since and is painfully alert of really costly his crab travel has been for his full family successful nan costs of surviving crisis.
"It tin beryllium very stressful financially, for illustration nary matter really overmuch you person saved up, you're gonna suffer a batch of money," he said.
Unable to spell to schoolhouse and emotion isolated, Brandan has struggled.
But he's besides recovered new intent done his passion for movie and photography, which he's really embraced while undergoing treatment.
"It's bully to person a passion erstwhile times do get tough," he said.
That passion led to him landing aggregate segments connected Juiced TV, a infirmary intermezo programme made by kids, for kids.
It was besides nan driving unit down his exertion for nan Dare to Dream Scholarship.
But he ne'er thought he'd really win.
Now, pinch an other $5000 successful his slope account, Brandan has large plans for his future.
He intends to walk nan rate connected a "good laptop for school" which he'll return pinch him adjacent year, erstwhile he hopes to commencement a media people astatine TAFE.
"I've missed retired connected a lot, for illustration schoolhouse and opportunities, and this danasiwa conscionable opens up a batch much for me," he said.
The 17-year-old is particularly excited by nan imaginable of starting TAFE and getting to socialise pinch groups of like-minded young group aft truthful galore months of isolation.
With his crab curen slated to extremity successful precocious 2026, Brandan has his sights group connected pursuing a movie and media profession successful nan adjacent future.
It's a heartening extremity aft truthful galore months of taking life 1 time astatine a time.
'It's not complete erstwhile you ringing nan bell'
Across authorities lines, Millie is approaching 1 twelvemonth cancer-free and looking to nan future.
She underwent six months of aggravated chemotherapy and marked nan extremity of her curen by ringing a doorbell astatine nan infirmary successful Sydney wherever she was treated.
But that wasn't nan extremity of her crab journey.
"It's not complete erstwhile you ringing nan bell," she told 9news.
"It's a long, agelong process of getting better. I'm still not astatine schoolhouse afloat clip ... I'm going for tests each fewer months, it's not for illustration everything's backmost to normal."
The hardest portion is that she looks for illustration a patient teen connected nan extracurricular moreover though her mind and assemblage are still reeling from intensive crab treatment.
Chemotherapy near Millie pinch nary hairsbreadth and being isolated for months connected end, incapable to be schoolhouse aliases spot friends, took a toll connected her intelligence health.
Even now, almost a twelvemonth aft finishing treatment, she's struggling to cope.
"You would deliberation nan existent crab aliases nan curen portion would beryllium nan hardest thing, but nan betterment has been nan hardest thing," she said.
"It's difficult erstwhile you're a teenager, because you deliberation 'I should beryllium capable to do this' ... it's a batch of small steps guardant and large leaps back."
But nan 16-year-old won't fto that extremity her from readying for nan future.
She has large dreams of starting her ain clothing statement making accessible hoodies for teens going done a crab journey.
The $5000 Dare to Dream Scholarship will thief her make those dreams a reality.
"When I was successful nan infirmary strategy they had a bunch of accessible apparel for children, for accessing ports and things for illustration that, but nary for teenagers," she said.
"I had to get a caller wardrobe conscionable truthful they'd beryllium capable to entree my collarbone, which is wherever my larboard was."
They will besides characteristic charms connected nan hoods' drawstrings truthful neurodivergent teens for illustration her person thing to fidget pinch erstwhile they consciousness anxious aliases overstimulated.
It's conscionable 1 mini measurement Millie hopes to support different young Aussies facing a crab travel for illustration hers.
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