General News
21 June, 2025
Family overwhelmed by support
A Warracknabeal family has struggled to describe the community support they have received since their toddler was diagnosed with cancer.
Justin and Shelby Appledore received the devastating diagnosis their son, Riley, two, had cancer in late May.
The diagnosis means the family is now in Melbourne and expects to spend up to the next eight months there, as their son undergoes treatment.
But the family has been overwhelmed with the support they have received from their hometown.
"Incredible. Just incredible. Honestly, it's hard to describe," Mrs Appledore said when asked to describe the support.
"Our families would shift mountains to help us if they could.
"But also the amount of messages, phone calls, offers of help, donations, etc from friends and the Rainbow and Warracknabeal communities is just overwhelming.
"Small country towns band together when things like this happen, and it humbles you to know that everyone has got your back.
"We are so grateful for all the support so far; it's just amazing."
Mr Appledore grew up on a farm at Wilkur, while Mrs Appledore grew up on a farm near Rainbow.
They have lived in Warracknabeal for the past seven years, but Mr Appledore and his family still farm in Wilkur.
Their family roots are deeply entrenched in the soil of the Wimmera, with both families having had many generations of farmers in the region.
Riley was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia called Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukaemia (MPAL) in late May.
"Riley was sick for about a month off and on with colds, etc and on Sunday, May 25, he was just not himself," explained his mum.
"He was cuddly and really sad, wanting to sit on the couch all day, and it was the same thing on Monday, but worse on Tuesday.
"When he went for a nap early in the morning and woke up at lunchtime and wanted to go back to bed, I thought something wasn't right and got him an appointment with our General Practitioner later that day."
The doctor suspected a viral infection but wanted to rule out pneumonia, so he sent Riley to Horsham for a check-up and X-ray.
"He said, 'he just looks sicker than a kid with a virus normally would', and I agreed," Mrs Appledore said.
"In Horsham, Riley was put on oxygen and a nebuliser, which helped, and we stayed for observation overnight.
"The next day, he refused to drink or eat anything, and by that evening, he needed fluid and nutrition support, so they put a cannula in to do that and took some blood."
The results came back abnormal.
Mrs Appledore said the paediatrician consulted with the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, who told us Riley needed to go to the hospital for further investigation.
"We were then transferred to Melbourne the next morning (Thursday, May 29) via air ambulance," Mrs Appledore said.
"When we arrived at RCH, they performed more testing, and that night, they told us that he had a form of leukaemia with a more concise diagnosis to come the next day (Friday) with further testing."
Mrs Appledore said the results left her husband and her stunned.
"We knew something was quite serious for them to send us all the way to Melbourne, but we weren't sure how serious," she said.
"And then, naturally, came the tears and the questions of how and why.
"But then we went into survival mode."
"Both Justin and I have quite an 'it is what it is' attitude, and so we just took it in and kept moving forward to start helping our little boy get better."
Now, Mrs Appledore said her husband and she are doing okay, despite how hard it is watching their child get sick and go through all the procedures and effects of medication.
"There are bad times when you wonder why this is happening, how this is happening, etc," she revealed.
"But we have the best support system with both of our families, as well as our friends and the wider communities of Rainbow and Warracknabeal.
"People know how to show up and stick together when things get tough.
"So while we have our moments, we have each other to lean on in the darker times and our 'village' to pick us up and keep going."
The family has been in Melbourne for almost three weeks, and Riley is at the start of a long six to eight months of intense treatment.
Mrs Appledore said it is all carried out in Melbourne, so the family won't be able to go far.
"Trips home are a long way on the horizon for Riley," she admitted.
"After that, we don't know what will happen."
Despite just commencing treatment, Mrs Appledore said her son is doing alright.
"He's always been shy, so meeting new doctors, nurses and support staff almost every day is scary for him, let alone having procedures," she said.
"But as long as we are there, he is fine. He's certainly got a lot of fight in him, which is good to see."
"He's adapting to hospital life in Melbourne quite well. You wouldn't think this isn't normal for him; he just goes with the flow."
But it's a different story for Riley's brother, Kobey, who is just 10 months old.
"Kobey is quite a cuddly, attached little boy, and with Justin and I trying to deal with Riley and everything he has to do, we have found it hard to provide for Kobey at the same time," she said.
"My parents have had to drop everything to come to Melbourne to help look after him."
"We still see him quite a lot during the day, but he is predominantly cared for by them at the moment, which is hard to see."
"But if we are to have anyone look after him, then we are lucky to have family available to do so."
"He is coping very well, though and as long as someone pays him attention and feeds him, he's just happy to be here."
Not only has the diagnosis been challenging for Mr and Mrs Appledore, but also for their families.
"Both of our families are quite close-knit knit, so they have all been quite shocked by the diagnosis as well," she said.
"They are continuing with their lives as best they can, but it's such a weight on their shoulders as well to be worried about Riley so much."
