Community Rallies to Fund Personalised mRNA Vaccine for Three-Year-Old Australian Girl with DIPG
Key Insights
Three-year-old Elsie Avery was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (search) (DIPG), a rare and incurable brain stem tumour, on January 10, 2025.
With surgery impossible and radiation offering limited benefit, her only hope is a personalised mRNA vaccine (search) manufactured by a single company in Canada at a cost of $400,000.
After her story aired on 7NEWS, nearly 5,000 donors pushed the family's GoFundMe campaign past its $400,000 goal, securing access to the treatment.
A South Australian family's desperate campaign to access a life-saving personalised cancer treatment for their three-year-old daughter has reached its goal, following an extraordinary outpouring of community support after the story was broadcast nationally.
Elsie Avery, from Mount Barker, South Australia, was diagnosed on January 10 with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (search) (DIPG), a rare and aggressive tumour that forms on the brain stem. The tumour, measuring 4 cm, was discovered after her parents, Abbey and Dane Avery, noticed subtle changes just before Christmas and sought medical attention. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis within an hour.
DIPG is considered both inoperable and incurable. Approximately 25 Australian children are diagnosed each year, and standard treatment options remain extremely limited. Most children with DIPG are given nine to 12 months to live. Surgery is not possible, and radiation remains the only standard treatment.
"We met with the neurosurgeon on the Sunday," Abbey told 7NEWS. "My main question to him was what will the side effects of the radiation be for Elsie? I just remember his comment so vividly — it was, 'she won't live long enough to experience those side effects'."
A Narrow Window and a Costly Alternative
A clinical trial opening in Adelaide offered a brief glimmer of hope, but Elsie missed the eligibility cut-off by weeks. With no other options available in Australia, the family turned to a personalised mRNA vaccine (search) — a treatment produced by a single manufacturer in Canada and designed to target Elsie's tumour using DNA taken from the tumour itself.
"That's when you're met with the figure — you can, but it's $400,000," Dane said.
Friends of the family launched a GoFundMe campaign to privately fund the treatment. According to organisers, the $400,000 covers manufacturing, medical preparation, administration, and treatment-related care. Elsie's results are also expected to contribute to broader DIPG research.
Community Response Surpasses Goal
After Elsie's story aired on 7NEWS, the campaign experienced a dramatic surge in donations. Nearly 5,000 people contributed, pushing the fundraising effort past its $400,000 target within hours.
"It's very overwhelming," Abbey said. "Yesterday morning we were maybe a quarter of the way to the GoFundMe goal, and then we woke up today to this huge response from the public overnight."
She added: "Thank you doesn't seem enough. The generosity has been absolutely incredible — from people we know and complete strangers from around the country. It's just been overwhelming, and we're so grateful."
The successful fundraising now clears the path for Elsie to receive the personalised mRNA vaccine (search), offering a chance at survival where standard therapies provide none.