Young leukaemia survivor wins state tennis championships

For any nine-year-old, being crowned Queensland’s under-10 singles and doubles tennis champion in the same week would likely be the greatest achievement of their young life.

But Chase Hoogsteden has already achieved more than a lot of kids his age.

Before the Gold Coaster was conquering the state championships, Chase was conquering leukaemia*.

Proud mum Tatum Hoogsteden said her family could never have imagined Chase competing again, let alone so soon after his battle against deadly blood cancer.

“For us to be where we are with him healthy and happy and thriving, and then for him to surprise us with this (tennis championship), we’re super proud of him and everything he’s achieved,” Ms Hoogsteden said.

“His work ethic*, he’s brave and resilient*. He just gets on with life and gets the job done so we’re super proud of him.”

Five years ago, Chase became very ill after he was diagnosed with leukaemia

For the next 30 months, the Saint Stephen’s College student endured a brave fight against the cancer that left him so weak he had to stay in bed. But his strength and determination have him back on his feet again.

“He lost so many things that he was no longer able to do,” his mum said.

“He had to teach himself how to walk again. He got to the point that he started crawling, then he started walking and kept working on it. Now he wins cross-country competitions and tennis tournaments.

“We could never, ever imagine that he’d ever get back to any kind of sport, let alone ­winning state championships.”

Every 12 weeks, Chase has to go back to hospital for further blood testing because there is a 10 per cent chance that his leukaemia might return.

Those tests will be part of his life for 10 years after remission*.

The bravery Chase has shown throughout his cancer treatment has been truly inspiring.

“You get so many injections that they had to put a port* into his chest so he could get chemotherapy*,” Ms Hoogsteden said. “He needed spinal taps* to put chemo into his spine, sometimes once or twice a week at various stages.

“You just had to tell him what was happening and he’d go, OK, he’d given himself some time to sort it out in his head, then say, ‘I’m ready, go’.”

That bravery throughout Chase’s leukaemia fight has shone through into his tennis.

The nine-year-old plays without fear, charging around the court like he knows how precious every second is spent with a racquet in his hand.

His love for the sport helped fuel his resilience throughout his treatment.

“Even when Chase was in the hospital bed unable to walk, we got video footage of him hitting tennis balls with his ­racquet,” Ms Hoogsteden said.

“He was trying to be physical whenever he could. He didn’t want to sit still.

“If he couldn’t walk, he’d crawl. And as soon as he was able to walk again, we had him back in tennis lessons with our local coach who’s been through it all with us. Before we knew it, he was backing ­winning competitions again.”

Chase won the Queensland final 6-3 6-0 against a player who had beaten him two weeks earlier.

“It was emotional and it was kind of like a release for him as well,” Ms Hoogsteden said.

“In 2022, the Make-A-Wish Foundation* put together most special wish for him. They sent a limo* out to get us and Ash Barty was waiting for us at the Queensland Tennis Centre. He got to have a match with her and it inspired him even more to do what he’s doing.

“Rafa Nadal is his idol* and he wants to be just like him.

“He wants to travel the world with his brother Hudson; they want to do it together.

“He wants to win all the Grand Slams*. I don’t know if he realises what a difficult path that is yet but at the moment he’s just enjoying it.

“We just want him having fun, and hopefully the dream pays off, but if it doesn’t we’re learning really good lessons along the way. I think he subconsciously* realises that he’s got to make the most of what he’s got now.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• leukaemia: cancer of the white blood cells, which begins in the bone marrow
• work ethic: having the belief that it is important to work hard
• resilient: able to bounce back quickly after difficult times
• remission: when the symptoms and signs of cancer lessen or disappear
• port: an implantable device that is surgically inserted under the skin and connects to your vein. Once in place, doctors can inject medicine into the port or take blood for testing from it instead of injecting into your vein
• chemotherapy: an cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells
• spinal taps: also known as a lumbar puncture, a spinal tap is a medical procedure where fluid from the spine is removed from the lower back using a hollow needle and tested. This procedure is sometimes needed to be done when diagnosing leukaemia
• Make-A-Wish Foundation: a non-for-profit organisation that grants wishes to kids who have critical illnesses
• limo: a limousine, a luxury car driven by a chauffeur that has a long passenger compartment decked out with plenty of creature comforts like comfy seating and TV screens
• idol: someone you admire greatly
• Grand Slams: the most prestigious tennis events in the world where the best players compete against one another: The French Open, The Australian Open, the US Open and Wimbledon
• subconsciously: without realising it

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QUICK QUIZ
1. When was Chase diagnosed with leukaemia?
2. How many months of treatment did he endure?
3. How often does he have to get his blood tested?
4. Who is Chase’s idol?
5. Who does Chase want to travel around the world with?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Life champion
While winning the under 10s Queensland tennis championships in singles and doubles is a great feat for any nine year old, Chase seems to realise the gift of a second chance at life and to enjoy every moment.

Chase has big dreams. What personality traits and life lessons and overall life outlook does he have that might put him above other kids on the sporting field and in life in general? List these in the table below;

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
If Chase hadn’t shown such amazing resilience and determination to get the cancer treatment done, it could have been a very different outcome from his cancer battle. If he wasn’t willing to complete the treatment, or it was too hard, what could be the possible consequences for him?

Chase has very regular tests to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned. How might that affect his mental wellbeing and planning for his future?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.