A doctor wrote one word on Tania's son's paperwork and told her not to Google it. Her heart sank when she did

It started with an empty box of painkillers.

Sydney mum Tania Prassad was concerned when she spotted it by her 16-year-old son Elliott's bed a week after he started complaining of pain in his right knee.

"We don't really take a lot of paracetamol," she tells 9honey, "so I booked him into the GP straight away."

READ MORE: The harrowing secret Bindi Irwin hid from the world for 10 years 

When Elliott first mentioned the pain they both assumed it was a sporting injury and the first doctor they saw put it down to growing pains but ordered a few tests just to be safe. 

"Right at the bottom [of the paperwork] he wrote the word osteosarcoma. I'd never heard of it," Tania says.

The doctor warned her not to Google it, insisting it was "highly unlikely" that Elliott had it but he wanted to check anyway. Tania didn't listen.

"I came home and the first thing I did was Google it and went 'holy hell.'"

Osteosarcoma is a rare cancer that starts in the bones and often occurs in children and young adults. Symptoms typically include localised bone pain and swelling.

It sounded scary but Tania put it out of her mind, thinking here was no way her teen son had cancer.

Then she took Elliott for his ultrasound and alarm bells started ringing.

During the scan, the sonographer left the room and returned with a doctor. They spoke quietly as more scans were taken but didn't say anything to Tania or Elliott.

Just a few hours later, Tania's phone rang.

"The GP called and said, 'Are you able to come down and get your results tonight?'" she says. "We had an appointment the next day, so I thought that was weird."

As soon as they arrived at the medical centre Tania knew something was wrong.

Her fears were confirmed when a doctor said they'd found a tumour in Elliott's leg and it looked like osteosarcoma. More tests were needed to confirm the diagnosis.

READ MORE: Saskia thought the ulcer on the roof of her mouth was harmless

Tania took her son home in a daze and called her boss to say she needed some time off. Sadly, he understood her situation.

"My boss's daughter, at the age of five, had an osteosarcoma in her chest the size of a melon and when I told him Elliott had osteosarcoma he said, 'Holy f--k Tania, that's not good,'" she says.

"That's when I fell apart."

A single mum of two, Tania had no clue what Elliott's future held or how she'd afford it.

How would she pay the bills and keep food on the table if she had to stop work? How would she support daughter Charlotte, then 13, if she was constantly at hospital with Elliott?

Though she had a supportive new partner, Tania was terrified for her kids.

"I didn't know how much you had to pay for cancer treatment, I didn't know what support I'd get, and I had no savings because I lost everything in the divorce," she says.

"As a single parent, I had the weight of the world on my shoulders."

Things only got worse when one surgeon said Elliott's leg would have to be amputated.

Thankfully Tania sought a second opinion at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse and they started Elliott on eight months of chemotherapy, followed surgery to remove his tibia and replace it with a prosthesis.

The prosthesis caused complications and in the last five years, Elliott's developed three dangerous infections that required more complex surgeries to treat.

"At one point he had eight blood transfusions ... it looked like he was dead. Those sort of things you can't un-see," Tania says.

"It broke my heart. He missed out on just being a normal teenager."

She was barely coping when Katie, a specialist nurse at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, became they whole family's "life support".

Katie advocated for Elliott, helped Tania access vital support services and was a light in their darkest moments.

When outsiders made ignorant comments to Tania like "wouldn't it just be better to cut off Elliott's leg?" or "he can feel your stress, you need to calm down", Katie was the one who connected her with a counsellor to help her cope.

When Elliott was stuck in hospital during COVID-19 lockdowns, Katie was the one who arranged a special visit from his mates to get him smiling again.

READ MORE: 'Healthy' Lola's lopsided smile was the first sign of what killed her

Without Katie and all the support from Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Tania doesn't know how her family would have survived this long ordeal.

"The specialist nurses are there to support the family and to be the glue between the surgeon and the patient. Without that glue, it would fall apart," she admits.

Now 21, Elliott is approaching his five-year survival milestone and Tania couldn't be more proud of the young man he is today.

He will live with the physical and emotional scars of this cancer journey forever, including chronic pain and future surgeries, but wants to use his story for a good cause.

This Giving Day, November 20, Tania and Elliott are opening up to encourage Australians to donate to Chris O'Brien Lifehouse's specialist nurse program to make sure all families have the support they did.

To donate to Chris O'Brien Lifehouse's specialist nurse program, click here. All Giving Day donations will be matched.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.