By Jonathan B Geddes

WHEN the bell rang last Friday, it signalled the biggest victory in former Wallaby and Brumbies star back Pat McCabe’s life.

The sweet sound that echoed through the corridors at the Sydney Children’s Hospital was to celebrate that his three-year-old daughter Charli was in remission from leukaemia in what has been the feel good rugby story of the season.

The courageous Charli has been through far more than any little girl should after being diagnosed with the disease in August 2023.

Since then she has had over  20 blood transfusions, five round of chemotherapy, three rounds of immunotherapy and then a bone-marrow transplant.

“From her diagnose to the bone-marrow transplant was about a year and after that she was in hospital in isolation for seven weeks and then another 100 day isolation after that,” McCabe told Rugby News.

“You kind of put your childhood on pause,  she wasn’t able to interact with other kids, she wasn’t able to see her brother and sister for months and months at a time. 

 “It was a really intense, hard time.”

SWIMMING AND BALLET 

BUT now Charli is starting to enjoy the life that all little girls should.

“She is doing really well, it is really nice to see her, touchwood, coming out of the other side of it now,” Charli’s proud dad said while watching his old club Warringah beat West Harbour 52-0 at Rat Park on Saturday. 

“Now she is off almost all of her medication and is able to do swimming lessons and ballet classes and normal kids’ stuff.

“I know she certainly enjoys feeling good again and not feeling sick all the time.”

“We had her bellringing ceremony yesterday which really signifies she is in remission at the moment.

“We would hear people ring the bell when we were on the ward and it was a really special day – the nurses came,  the doctors came. My family came and my wife Tammy’s family came so it was a really nice experience to share together.”

FAMILY TIES

THROUGH the trauma Charli has enjoyed the unwavering devotion from Pat, Tammy and their seven-year-old twins Jack and Olivia.

And for the family to see Charli get to where she is now has been a heartwarming  experience.

“Just to see her happy and healthy and be able to intact with the twins and other kids as well is really, really nice,” Pat said.

Charli is now able to enjoy activities like going to a playground which other kids take for granted.

“And things like seeing her hair grow back again – those little milestones show on the outside she is really healthy again,” Pat said.

BLOOD  BROTHERS … AND SISTERS

CHARLI’S story also demonstrated the qualities that make rugby such a special game.

The McCabes have received great support from his Warringah club, especially his good friend and former teammate Ed Doyle.

He was the driving force for a large Rats’ contingent to donate blood when the family was in the thick of Charli’s treatment.

“All the guys came down and that was a really special thing for the club to get around and give their support,” Pat said.

“For us it was a nice thing, but obviously for the hundreds of people that saved as well was an amazing thing for the club to do.

“The broader rugby community was also extremely supportive with lots of people reaching out and we are very grateful for that.”

And he said the Sydney Children’s Hospital provides an incredible service to families like his during hard times, the nurses in particular.  

LESSONS LEARNT

MCCABE said the experience had taught him not to take health for granted.

“And savouring things like having three healthy kids at home together who are happy – that would have just felt normal previously,”  he said.

“We feel incredibly lucky, there are kids who were being treated at the same time as us but weren’t as fortunate as Charli has been.”      

McCabe was also delighted to be at Rat Park after the big news about Charli.

“It very much feels like home still, it is great to be back,” he said.