Ciara's battle for life is on upswing

Fighter: Ciara Flanagan can now play with mother Michaela in their backyard after two years fighting cancer. Picture: Dan Himbrechts Source: The Daily Telegraph

Fighter: Ciara Flanagan can now play with mother Michaela in their backyard after two years fighting cancer. Picture: Dan Himbrechts Source: The Sunday Telegraph

SHE'S the little battler who spent months in and out of hospital but doctors hope she can declare victory by her second birthday.

Diagnosed with neuroblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of childhood cancer, Ciara Flanagan has undergone two gruelling operations and eight bouts of chemotherapy to beat the disease.

Despite scans showing the tumour is gone, it will be another few months before the 20-month-old is officially in remission.

The ordeal began when eight-weeks-old Ciara went to hospital with a gastro bug.

"You know something is wrong when four serious doctors and a social worker walk towards you," mother Michaela said.

"They then told us she had neuroblastoma.

"We didn't know what it was but when we were introduced to an oncologist, we figured out it was cancer.

"Our doctor was very frank with us.

"He said from day one she was so small that she had a good chance, but that kids can and do die from this at her age."

Ms Flanagan, 32, said Ciara was in and out of the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick throughout her first year.

"She was quite amazing throughout it all, little kids are so resilient," Ms Flanagan said.

"In her first 12 months of life Ciara spent six months in hospital, on and o! ff."

Ciara completed all of her chemotherapy a year ago and has regular scans to check that the disease, which develops from nerve tissue, hasn't returned.

"We are hopeful within three or four months she will be told she is in remission," Ms Flanagan said.

"We now have to have scans every three months to check on how things are going for her."

Neuroblastoma survival rates remain around 40-50 per cent even though the general survival rates for childhood cancers have improved significantly in the past 20 years.

The Flanagans from Balmain said they hoped sharing Ciara's story would help raise money for neuroblastoma research by the Children's Cancer Institute of Australia.

"We went through one of the worst possible experiences that a parent can go through," Ciara's father, Aran, 40, said.