Family whose daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour reveal how they almost didn't get medical help because they would be forced into strict quarantine
- Belle Newman's toddler daughter Ingrid suddenly stopped walking last month
- She took Ingrid to hospital but they were required to quarantine for 14 days
- Ten days into their self-isolation, Ingrid suffered a sudden violent seizure
- They went to hospital but were then forced to start quarantine all over again
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A mother was almost too scared to take her sick daughter to hospital because they would be forced back into two-week coronavirus quarantine.
Belle Newman and her daughter Ingird, 15 months, travelled from their home in Cooktown in far north Queensland last month to get her checked by doctors after she suddenly stopped walking.
But due to Queensland's stringent coronavirus measures, the pair had to undergo quarantine for two weeks under police guard before they could go home.
Ten days into their self-isolation, Ingrid suffered a sudden violent seizure and started frothing at her mouth.
Belle Newman and her daughter Ingird, 15 months, travelled from their home in Cooktown in far north Queensland last month to get her checked by doctors after she suddenly stopped walking
Due to Queensland's stringent coronavirus measures, Ingrid (pictured) and her mother had to undergo quarantine for two weeks under police guard before they could go home
Ms Newman then had to choose between taking her daughter to hospital but breaking quarantine, or staying put and putting the girl's life at risk.
'I am really glad we did go because otherwise we wouldn't have known about this tumour and it could have gotten much worse,' she told the ABC.
The young mother now fears other parents from the Cape York region could also avoid getting medical help for their children so they don't break quarantine.
'I definitely do believe there are some people that would be putting it off and thinking it might just go away instead of getting help ... because they don't want to be stuck,' Ms Newman said.
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A Queensland Health spokesman said the quarantine was in place under the biosecurity laws to protect vulnerable indigenous communities from coronavirus.
Ms Newman - who is 26 weeks' pregnant with her second child - said she was reluctant to start quarantine all over again with a toddler as it would have been extremely strenuous.
'One of the things we do to calm my daughter down when she's having a meltdown is we go outside and touch the trees,' she said.
Ingrid starts six weeks if chemotherapy at Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane next week to reduce the size of her tumour so it can be removed.
Pressure from the tumour is being relieved due to a deviate in the 15-month-old's head.
Ms Newman said Ingrid is now able to walk and move around without any pain, and is back to her 'normal cheeky self.'
Ms Newman - who is 26 weeks' pregnant with her second child - said she was reluctant to start quarantine all over again with a toddler as it would have been extremely strenuous
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