While Madeline Gordon admits much the past 18 months of her life has been nothing short of a nightmare, she is making a point of remaining positive.
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The 40-year-old mother of three and her partner Will were oblivious to the despair they were about to go through right up until their then three-year-old son Alfred had what they initially thought was an asthma attack on April 5 last year.
Less than 48 hours later he was airlifted from Tasmania to Melbourne for treatment on a mass, likely cancerous, that could have collapsed his lungs at any moment and made it impossible for him to breathe or be resuscitated.
"Mr Gordon and Alfred flew out Sunday evening into COVID Melbourne."
Mrs Gordon followed the next morning with one child and the eldest son stayed with family in Tasmania until there was a better understanding of the situation.
From that moment the Gordon family, Madeline, Will, Alfred, Remy, five, and then three-month-old Margaret had their lives turned upside down.
Due to the timing of what was eventually determined to be T-cell lymphoma for Alfred, the fact he would need to travel to a soon to be COVID ravaged and locked down Melbourne complicated what was already a delicate situation.
After extensive treatment over four months to try and get on top of the cancer the Gordon family was ready to come home.
Oldest child Remy headed back home with Mrs Gordon's parents ready to start school after a two-week quarantine stint, and the rest of the family was set to follow. But it was not to be with Melbourne declared to be in a state of disaster as COVID cases pushed towards 1000 each day.
Instead, Mrs and Mr Gordon and their two youngest children had to stay in Melbourne so Alfred could continue his treatment, uninterrupted by COVID travel restrictions.
Those restrictions meant Mrs and Mr Gordon would scarcely see each other during Alfred's stints in hospital, but for a short period of "changeover" in Alfred's supervision in the hospital carpark.
It was also the only time Mr Gordon would see his months-old daughter Margaret, and the only chance Mr and Mrs Gordon had to embrace one another in the midst of what they were going through.
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Eventually, the family was able to return to their Newstead home, in Launceston, by February, 10 months after first flying to Melbourne to save their son's life.
It was not, and still is not, the end of Alfred's treatment journey, but the Gordons are looking ahead to a life where Alfred is no longer undergoing active treatment - which they are currently able to do from their Tasmanian home.
And despite the turmoil they were thrust into, Mrs Gordon said it was all about moving forward.
She said, as much as anything, her eyes had been opened to what it means to have a family member diagnosed with cancer, and expressed heartfelt sympathy for anyone else who was put in that same position.
And by holding her head high and remaining positive, Mrs Gordon was defiant about how her family could use their experience to help others.
We were absolutely exhausted, but determined.
- Madeline Gordon
"We wanted to give back in order to move forward and move the treatment forward, so it can be kinder and more effective for all children who go through this."
Mrs Gordon found the best way to give back was through sharing her story and starting an online auction to raise money for The Kids' Cancer Project.
She said she chose that charity in particular because it considered how all childhood cancer journeys are different and was representative of all the families her family had met while Alfred was receiving treatment in hospital in Melbourne.
She said she chose that charity in particular because it considered how all cancer journeys are different and was representative of all the families her family had met while Alfred was receiving treatment in hospital in Melbourne.
Every time you revisit [what happened] it's hard, and we're still going through it now so it's very raw, but there are amazing people around us and in the community.
- Madeline Gordon
"Our situation brought us to this point of understanding, and the charity auction was how we wanted to celebrate my 40th Birthday and finish 2021, we want that to be really positive."
The auction is open to donations until November 8 and has received more than 60 so far. Mrs Gordon hopes to raise about $75,000, but really is unsure as to how high that total may reach.
Bidding on the auction donations, which include one-of-a-kind art pieces and exclusive accommodation at places around Tasmania, opens on December 8 and runs until December 15. Further information is available at madelinesstory.com.au.
