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Community & Business

25 December, 2021

Book helps brain cancer research

PART of the proceeds from December sales of Julatten mother-of-four Crystal Leonardi’s first book, “Boy of Steel”, will go towards the Children’s Hospital Foundation to help fund vital brain cancer research.


Book helps brain cancer research - feature photo

Crystal released the book in October and has decided to give $5 from every sale of the book this month to the foundation.

The foundation funds the first Australian paediatric brain cancer research centre, Children’s Brain Cancer Centre. 

Brain cancer sadly kills more children in Australian than any other disease, killing an Australian child every nine days. 

The book tells the journey of the Leonardi family as they coped with their son’s treatment after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour the size of an orange when he was only two years of age. 

It is now believed that Sebastian was likely born with the tumour, however symptoms didn’t become obvious until the tumour had grown to a substantial size. 

These symptoms began occurring at 20 months of age, and included insomnia, night sweats, excessive urination, bowed legs and pigeon toes, and left sided weakness including facial palsy. 

The family had to cope with COVID- 19 as they grappled to manage everything involved with their young son’s treatment.

“The events of 2020 were something that we were all recovering from, so it was quite confronting to revisit each setback and complication,” Crystal said. 

Children’s Hospital Foundation acting CEO Olivia Jary is thankful Crystal chose to benefit the organisation from the sales of her book. 

“It is wonderful that Crystal chose to support the Children’s Hospital Foundation through ‘Boy of Steel’ sales, and by doing so, she is giving hope to families of kids with brain cancer, just like Sebastian,” she said. 

“Boy of Steel” is available from the Mareeba’s Under Blue Skies bookstore in Byrnes Street.

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