Engadine boy Zander, 12, faces a cancer fight after a recent diagnosis. Picture supplied

In a single moment on April 24, the world shifted for the Shaw family of Engadine.

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What began as a vacation to Japan ended with a diagnosis that no parent is ever prepared to receive: their son, Zander, a year 6 student at Marton Public School, has leukaemia.

The signs were subtle at first, easily dismissed as the fatigue of travel or the typical bumps and bruises of an active childhood. "As we look back, we weren't aware something was drastically wrong," Zander's father, Brian Shaw, said. "For the first week of the trip he was a bit tired and lethargic, but we didn't think much of it. He was masking a problem but we didn't know it."

By the second week, the situation turned critical. Zander required assistance just to board the plane home, and upon landing, he was unable to walk through the terminal.

The family had initially suspected a simple iron deficiency or perhaps seasickness from a recent fishing trip where friends noticed the boy looked unusually pale. Instead, they found themselves at Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick, facing a reality that includes nearly 200 days of chemotherapy this year alone.

"We were shocked and shattered," Mr Shaw said. "Zander is handling everything like a trooper. We just said 'your blood is sick' and we will be spending a lot of time in and out of hospital. He's been amazing; he's just taking it all in, he's so resilient."

Blood cancer remains the single greatest cancer threat to Australian children and teenagers, with more than 500 young people diagnosed annually. Families are often forced to abandon their routines, jobs, and support networks in an instant.

For the Shaws, the logistics are particularly daunting; as a self-employed gardener and a contractor, Brian and Miriam face a complete loss of income while they remain by Zander's bedside for his months of treatment.

The family is determined to keep Zander's spirit high. The road ahead is long, as pediatric blood cancer treatments typically span two to three years, marking one of the most exhaustive journeys in oncology. Yet, the focus remains squarely on the 12-year-old's strength. "We're going to keep life as normal as possible," Mr Shaw said.