Laguna Street Public School student Coen has endured four brain surgeries and is still smiling. His strength has inspired a community as a fundraiser is launched for the seven-year-old. Picture supplied

A fundraising campaign has been launched by a family friend to support seven-year-old Coen, a Laguna Street Public School student who has spent nearly his entire life battling a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.

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Coen was 15 months old when he was diagnosed with a Posterior Fossa Ependymoma. The disease spread cancer cells into his cerebrospinal fluid, causing multiple tumours to develop within his brain. In the past several years, the young boy has had four brain surgeries to remove recurring tumours, three rounds of radiation, and two clinical trials. He is undergoing a round of oral chemotherapy.

His mother, Amanda Drysdale, said Coen was hitting all of his normal developmental milestones before becoming irritable over a six-week period. He began refusing to crawl or take the few steps he had previously mastered, and developed noticeable balance issues. Following a CT scan, the family was sent straight to the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick.

While the family knew from the beginning that the diagnosis was incurable, they have always held onto hope. However, a recurrence in 2023 signalled an even tougher battle ahead to keep the cancer at bay. Mrs Drysdale said Coen is a funny, loving, kind, and compassionate boy who takes everything in his stride. "Coen loves Pokémon, Mario Kart, Lego, and the Cronulla Sharks. He enjoys playing footy, watching soccer, and building structures for his massive collection of toy cars," she said.

Ependymoma is the third most common type of brain tumour in children. Surgery and radiation are successful in about 70 per cent of cases. But for one-in-three children the tumour will grow back. In 2024, a world-first drug trial began at Sydney Children's Hospital. The Deflexifol at Relapse Trial, supported by Kids with Cancer Foundation investigated a new treatment with fewer side effects for ependymoma in children. There had already been promising results in a trial for adults. Coen was part of that trial in 2025, plus the Optimise trial, but his tumour grew so he was taken off the trial.

Given the length and severity of his battle, his family and doctors agree that it is a miracle Coen has reached the age of seven. The hope now is that the current oral chemotherapy will successfully slow down the progression of the disease and buy him more time.