For Oliver’s family a sun-soaked day at the beach was meant to be the perfect antidote to help recover from a busy festive season.

A few days after Christmas last year the family decided to make a quick stop at their local urgent care clinic while on the way to the beach.

A recent rash on Oliver’s chest had been troubling his parents, Jacqui and Terry, who wanted to get it checked out as a precaution.

Image: Oliver at the beach

“It had been a warm few days, so we thought it was just sunburn, given it wasn’t itchy or bothering him,” Jacqui said.

“Another warm day was forecast so we wanted the kids to enjoy the beach and burn off some energy after a hectic Christmas period.”

But after inspecting the rash, the urgent clinic doctor referred Oliver onto Warrnambool Hospital for blood tests. Hours later, the test came back abnormal and the family was whisked by helicopter, with Oliver still in his bathers, to The Royal Children’s Hospital. 

The diagnosis came as a huge shock. The rash was a sign of phenotype acute leukaemia, a rare, aggressive blood cancer.

Oliver, 6, started chemotherapy immediately, with the family relocating to Melbourne for the duration of his treatment.

He is also taking part in a trial that is testing whether a tool that harnesses Apple Watch health data and artificial intelligence can help protect children undergoing cancer treatment from infections.

Image: Oliver, wearing the Apple Watch, with his sister Piper at hospital

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) aims to explore the ability of a custom designed research app to detect signs of looming infection over a four-week period. Under the trial, consenting participants share data collected by Apple Watch including respiratory and heart rates, blood oxygen levels and physical activity via the secure app.

Jacqui said Oliver was keen to help other children undergoing cancer treatment.

“The chemotherapy has been intense, making Oliver nauseous and losing his appetite,” she said. “But taking part in this trial has been incredibly reassuring, proactively monitoring him for serious side effects and possible infections.

“One thing that really worried me at first was that something would be missed, however this watch just keeps everyone on the front-foot. Oliver is beaming about wearing the watch too and has already mastered all its whiz-bang features.”

Image: Oliver with his mum Jacqui, dad Terry and sister Piper