Outpouring of support follows heartbreaking diagnosis

An online fundraiser to support a former Surf Coast dad whose daughter has been diagnosed with childhood leukaemia has been met with an outpouring of community support.

Aspen Mae, who is almost two years old, is the youngest child of Jack Hansen and his wife Jordan who are now based on the Sunshine Coast and recently welcomed five-week-old baby, Valley.

A GoFundMe page set up by Aspen’s aunty, Jessica Andrews, raised more than $120,000 in the first 22 hours thanks to 749 generous donors.

Jessica, who lives in Torquay, described the support for her brother’s young family as “unbelievable”, saying the original goal was reached in less than 10 hours and was revised to $150,000 as a result.

Within less than 24 hours the GoFundMe page was shared 2,100 times by people getting behind Aspen who is described by her aunty as “a smart, vibrant, cheeky, thoughtful little girl” who lights up the room.

“How amazing are the friends and family of the Hansen tribe!” Jessica wrote in an update to the page.

“Whilst you all dug deep in these few short hours, we can be sure that Aspen, our little fighter, did too, receiving her first dose of chemotherapy in that time.

“This widespread support is so appreciated by the family.”

Aspen was taken to hospital on August 16 after waking up with small bruises on her body that had seemingly come from nowhere, according to Jessica.

After a 24-hour search for answers, doctors gave the Hansen family the heartbreaking news their daughter had Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia (ALL) – the most common type of cancer in children.

“They were rushed via ambulance to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, where after a few hours when she had seemingly had enough, Aspen told her dad ‘all better now, home time’,” Jessica said.

“But her diagnosis won’t allow her to go home, not for a little while anyway.”

Jessica said Aspen was now facing “the biggest challenge of her life” which would involve chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants and constant trips to the hospital.

Aspen is the grand-daughter of Peter and Mandy Hansen who ran the popular Torquay venue, Growlers, for almost eight years until its recent closure.

Jessica said the money raised via the GoFundMe page would allow her brother and his family to put their focus on the most important fight of their lives.

“As the sister of Jack, living in our home town of Torquay, I have set up this page on behalf of family and friends who were looking for ways to help Aspen and her family in this challenging time,” she said.

“Jack and Jordan will be added as the direct beneficiaries of the funds raised, with this much-needed financial support being used to cover medical costs, and everyday expenses that come their way whilst living in Brisbane, including accommodation, transport and more.”

Jessica described the Hansens as “a wonderfully caring and giving family” who are an important part of the Sunshine Coast community, with Jordan a beloved school teacher and Jack involved at Nippers.

“The Hansens are a special family and they could really use a hand in this tough time,” she said.

“We can’t simply solve this problem for Aspen, that’s up to the wonderful staff at Queensland Children’s Hospital, but by donating money it will make life a little easier on the entire family.

“Let’s continue to wrap our arms around Aspen girl and her crew and smash this next target to support them in the road ahead in whatever way we can.”

To make a donation search “ALL in for ASPEN” on the GoFundMe website.