Trish Carpenter

Big Hand, Little Hand Trish Carpenter

The loss of a child is every parent's nightmare, and one that Trish Carpenter has lived through.

In this raw and real tale, Trish shares her son Thomas' courageous fight with medulloblastoma, an aggressive childhood brain cancer. From the shocking diagnosis, to surgery and treatment, then came a new trial put before this young boy...

During surgery to remove his tumour, Thomas acquired a brain injury known as Posterior Fossa Syndrome. This presented an additional challenge for a family already on its knees. Thomas was suddenly unable to sit, speak, swallow or control any voluntary muscle in his body. He was back to square one as a seven-year-old boy and in for a long journey of rehabilitation.

Trish found that she was in need of answers beyond doctor advice, looking for helpful information and wanting to hear from other parents' experiences. Confronted with paediatric brain cancer, brain injury, palliative care and then unimaginable grief, Trish was desperate to find the best way to support her son and to one day find peace.

While never giving up hope, this little boy demonstrated courage, resilience and perseverance throughout his gruelling 13-month battle with brain cancer. This is the story of a superhero. This is Thomas' story.