By Danielle Galvin
AT just 17, Stacey Colebrook from Narre Warren South was diagnosed with leukaemia.
“My family was pretty devastated and we felt lost,” she says of the diagnosis.
But things are looking up for the Year 12 student.
This Saturday, Stacey and seven others involved in the charitable organisation Challenge will fly to the US for a month-long, fun-filled holiday adventure.
Challenge is an organisation that supports kids with cancer and their families.
Each year, eight of the Challenge kids are taken to the US for the holiday of a lifetime.
“Challenge provides you with the light at the end of the tunnel,” Stacey explained.
Stacey met a staff member from Challenge while she was receiving treatment at Monash Children’s Hospital. She was inspired.
“Sonya from Challenge told me about the great things that they do, about the joy and the happiness they bring to people,” she said.
Stacey recalls how she was flicking through the Challenge newsletter when she saw the annual US trip.
“My friend and I were looking at it thinking how cool it would be to go. We will be like a family for a month,” she said.
The Trip of a Lifetime adventure will be Stacey’s first time overseas.
She was meant to head to Japan later in the year, but the trip had to be postponed.
“Because of the devastation in Japan we had to reschedule the holiday, so this USA trip came up at a good time,” she said.
The lucky eight kids will visit Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Hollywood and Universal Studios, to name a few. The excitement for Stacey is that she has no idea what will be on the itinerary.
“You could ask me what I’ll be doing next Thursday and I have no idea!”
Like any girl her age, Stacey can’t wait to shop in New York and walk past the famous landmarks.
“The people at Challenge asked us what we would want to do in the US. I said that I wanted to perform on Broadway, so who knows?”
Stacey has been playing guitar for over four years, and she wants to be a famous singer or songwriter.
“Music is very expressive. It’s had such a huge impact on my life. Writing songs is my way of coping, and I want to share my music with the world to inspire people,” she said.
In the last few days before she leaves, Stacey has planned what she’s wearing for her going away party on Friday night. She’s started packing and she’s optimistic about the year ahead.
“I have been in remission for 19 months. I’m not quite out of the woods yet,” she said.
For the next month, Stacey can look forward to seeing the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, and hearing the Harlem Gospel Choir sing.
It will be a trip she won’t forget.
