03.04.2014 – 07.05.2021

Tyler Latham was a smart, caring and loving 6-year-old who loved life. He had the most infectious laugh and the best dance moves anyone had heard and seen. He loved school, family, friends, superheroes, SpongeBob, riding his bike, and going on adventures.

On the 17th July 2020 we noticed that Tyler’s left eye was turning in slightly. Over a few days it was getting worse. We booked him into the optometrist who checked Tyler’s eyes and said it looks like he could have strabismus and would need surgery on the eye to tighten the muscles. A few days after this appointment Tyler woke up in the middle of the night crying saying his head was hurting. This hadn’t happened before, and it was very concerning so we made him a doctor’s appointment.

We live in a rural town so the doctor’s thought it was best we went to Adelaide for Tyler to get checked out at Womens and Children’s Hospital. Tyler had a few people to do tests on his eyes. The next day they made the decision for him to have an MRI scan.

The 24th July 2020 is a day we will never forget. This is the day we were told that our happy, healthy little man had an inoperable brain tumor called DIPG and there was nothing they could do! We were told to “go home and make memories”. Our hearts were completely shattered!!

We packed up our lives for 6 weeks and moved to Adelaide for Tyler to start his 30 rounds of radiotherapy. Tyler handled this like a little champ. He never complained no matter what. His body went through so much and so many changes. There were definitely hard times, but he pushed through them all with a smile on his face.

When we arrived home after 6 weeks in Adelaide, we got Tyler on a drug trial. Unfortunately, Tyler started declining and his little body was starting to fail him. The day after Xmas Tyler couldn’t move his right side anymore and he was in a wheelchair.

Tyler sadly passed away surrounded by his family on the 7th May 2021, just 10 months after diagnosis. Despite everything that Tyler went through he fought DIPG with everything he had and as his parents, we couldn’t be any prouder of him. We love you to the moon and back.