The community is rallying to try and save the life of an eight-year-old boy, who was diagnosed with a rare, very aggressive and inoperable brain tumour on Christmas Eve.
Zane West, of Grays Point, was a vibrant and energetic youngster, who loved surfing, soccer and other sports before he was struck down by Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a cancer which attacks children under 12.
About 20 children die from DIPG in Australia each year, and the average survival period is just nine months from diagnosis.
Zane's parents, Erminia (Min) Hatzel and Steve West, whose "world has been shattered", are determined to fight and give their son every possible chance.
They are exploring options in Australia and overseas, but for the family, including their younger son Saxon, to travel with Zane for treatment would be very expensive.
With friends, they started a GoFundMe campaign, which has raised more than $123,000 of the estimated $300,000 needed to take Zane overseas for treatment if that option is available.
Any funds not needed for Zane will go into DIPG research in Australia.
The community at Grays Point, and also at Caringbah North where the family lived till last year, together with Zane's soccer and nippers clubs and many residents and business owners in the wider shire community and beyond, have rallied to help.
Fund raising efforts range from cake stalls, lemonade and chocolate stands to a silent auction of more than 30 items and individuals and businesses selling items such as a skateboard ramp, concert tickets and gym memberships.
Grays Point Rural Fire Service has offered to donate any money raised from an event they are having to thank the community for support during the bushfires.
All proceeds are going to Fight to Save Zane.
Support is also being given through a roster for daily fresh meals so the focus can be on Zane, his treatment and important family time
"Friends, family and strangers are offering support in so many ways," said a close friend.
The friend said Zane was having trouble walking as his condition deteriorates.
"Zane is having radiation treatment to try and reduce the impact of the tumour and give some respite," she said. "Whether it will be effective is not clear.
"If it is, it will allow the options for treatment to be explored in Australia and overseas."
The friend said two options for treatment in the US appeared to be available when the campaign started, but they had since found one was inaccessible.
"The remaining option is a new drug called ONC201, which is still being investigated for viability and accessibility," she said.
"We are also reaching out to as many people inside and outside Australia, hoping there may be something more than palliative care."
The friend said Zane's parents had been thrown into a world of having to wade through masses of technical and often conflicting medical information while trying to care for him and Saxon and cope with what was going on around.
"Min and people around her have become midnight research warriors," she said.
"During the day, Min and Steve are taking Zane for radiation treatment and giving him the best possible care and then spending the night on the computer looking for answers."
The couple revealed on the GoFundMe page that, in the week before Christmas, they noticed Zane was losing his balance and wasn't able to do activities he would normally do with ease.
"We wondered if he was tired after a big year at school, but his symptoms began to rapidly escalate so we went straight to the doctor," they wrote.
"After assessing Zane, we were rushed to the hospital where they performed a number of tests and subsequently delivered the news that no parent should ever have to hear."
