Cronulla’s Lulu Demetriou was a baby when she was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma.
The cancerous tumour in her stomach spread to her bones but she is fighting strong – and is now challenging the big bosses to help find a cure.
Although not yet in remission, Lulu, 8, has been off treatment since 2013. The success of her journey depends on ongoing funding into treatment of childhood cancers.
She is the face of Children’s Cancer Institute’s CEO Dare To Cure challenge, where chief executive officers of major companies brave dares to raise money for the charity.
Challenges include walking on glass or fire, getting a tattoo, eating chillis, a snake bath or hair shaving.
The CEO of Modular Walls at Kurnell, Nick Holden, is one of the representatives again taking part.
Lulu’s mother Josi will also take up the challenge and get a tattoo live on stage on September 7 at Sydney’s Botanical Gardens.
“I want her to be the face of hope, not doom and gloom,” Ms Demetriou said.
“She is the epitome of that hope and she’s shown resilience through years of intensive treatment. The Children’s Cancer Institute wanted someone who is full of personality to be the face of this campaign and Lulu has endured such bravery.”
The Children’s Cancer Institute is currently leading the establishment of the Zero Childhood Cancer national child cancer personalised medicine program for children with the most aggressive cancers, in partnership with the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
The program hopes to revolutionise the way treatment decisions are made, with the aim of improving survivorship for those children at highest risk of treatment failure from their disease.
“Every child’s cancer is unique, so to improve survival rates the precise molecular and biological profile of each child’s cancer needs to be identified using complex laboratory tests to enable recommendation of an individualised treatment plan,” Children’s Cancer Institute executive director, Professor Michelle Haber said.
