A ray of hope

More kids than ever are beating cancer, but the effects of the treatment can last a lifetime. The Weekly meets the D'Monte family who have been part of a very special program, helping to ensure these little battlers might one day have children of their own.

- GENEVIEVE GANNON

Kimberlee and Dave D'Monte met when they were teenagers and knew very quickly that they wanted to spend their lives together. For them, happiness meant a big family. Kimberlee trained as a nurse and Dave pursued computer systems engineering and retail management. For a decade they both worked two jobs as they saved and planned for the life they wanted: A bustling home that was alive with the sounds of rambunctious children.

"Family was always the future," Kimberlee says. "For me, having children is a massive part of my identity and my life. I can't imagine not having the opportunity to do that. My retirement plan is spending time with my grandchildren."

The mother of three has a quick, warm laugh and an indestructible good humour as she shares the story of how her family found themselves signing up for a cutting-edge new program that has helped ensure those grandchildren will one day be born.

Kimberlee was 30 when they had their first daughter, Hazel. Holding her newborn confirmed everything she had always believed: Being a mother would be the defining act of her life. Hazel had dark, curly hair and observant brown eyes. Two years later, Kimberlee and Dave welcomed Ivy, who was a fair-headed firecracker, and two years after that, Delilah arrived.

Life could get chaotic, but the pair welcomed the tumult of raising their brood. Kimberlee says she'd choose playing with Play-Doh over going into the office any day. She and Dave had achieved their dream, and the house they bought is now filled with fairy costumes and picture books.

At first, the signs that life was about to veer off course were small. They appeared in the middle of the night. Ivy would wake, and when Kimberlee or Dave went to check on their middle child, they noticed the two-year-old was "almost shivering".