Brave Miette on a mission
A little Bayside girl struck down with a rare, incurable cancer is on a mission to collect as many letters from well wishers as she can.
Miette Skiller and her family are hoping the positive thoughts of others will help them battle a devastating prognosis.
With her brother and sister, little Miette lives in a world of cubby houses and pet chooks. She dreams of princesses and faeries - as most six-year-old girls do.
But one terrible day last July, darkness clouded her world. Miette was diagnosed with a rare brain stem tumour - Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.
Radiation is the only treatment, but it can’t stop the cancer – it can only slow it.
"You get told that your child has a zero per cent chance of being here in two years. Who wants to hear that? Nobody wants to hear that," Miette’s devastated mother Natalie told Seven News.
"I keep telling myself that it's not happening and that one day we're going to wake up from this nightmare.
"We just don't have options for kids with these brain stem tumours.
"Everything about Miette is so light and so beautiful - she's just enriched everybody's lives by being here, so that's her purpose - that's obviously her purpose."
While grief has consumed her parents Glen and Natalie, Miette has gone from carefree and bubbly to quiet but brave.
She had her hair dyed to raise awareness of her cancer and then asked to sell the hair clips and bows she makes with her mum to collect money for research.
They're now counting on the power of positive thought to pull them through.
What Miette loves is receiving mail. She and her family are on a mission to collect as many letters from well-wishers as they can.
Her collection so far is impressive - but there's plenty of space for more.
"We’d like to fill that whole wall with postcards if we can," Miette's mum said.
To help Miette and her family achieve their goal, you can send your best wishes to the following address or show your support on Miette's Facebook page:
Miette Skiller
P.O. Box 2134
Brighton, QLD, 4017
