Surviving and thriving, individually and collectively

Learning to survive after they lost their mother to breast cancer in Grade 8, the Lyons triplets, Cameron, Eden, and Tana, believe they can do anything they set out to achieve. Having just matriculated at King David Linksfield, a journey which began with profound loss has led to them excelling at high school. 

“Our mom was first diagnosed when we were in Grade 1, so cancer was always part of our lives – it was something we grew up with and were constantly exposed to,” said Cameron. “We even used to joke that it was like a sixth member of our family because we didn’t know life any differently.” 

Their parents didn’t want their lives to be consumed by cancer, so they tried to give them as normal a childhood as possible. However, it was always something that was in the background. 

The triplets did online school when they were in Grade 7 along with the rest of their peers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, by the time they got to Grade 8, their mother’s health had deteriorated rapidly, and it wasn’t safe for them to go to school. So they continued to do their schooling remotely. 

“We stayed online for longer than everyone else, and it was quite weird then coming into high school. We hadn’t had as much social interaction as everyone else the previous year,” said Eden. “We’re also a bit grateful in the long term because we got to spend more time at home with her.” 

Their world came crashing down at the end of their Grade 8 year, when they lost their mother after her eight-year battle. 

“We were privileged to have some closure with our mom. Many people experience sudden, tragic losses, but ours, although incredibly difficult, unfolded over time. That closure helped us understand what was happening and prepare emotionally,” said Cameron. “It helped us transition into our new lives. It wasn’t a sudden shock; it was a long process, which made it easier to adapt. Even now, people don’t always understand how we went through something so traumatic, but because it happened gradually, this life feels normal to us. At the time, we didn’t know anything different.” 

“We were brought up to go to school every day and take each day as it came. We didn’t plan far ahead, and that made a difference at school. Even in primary school, we simply focused on getting through each day,” said Eden. 

When they started high school, their mother, a King David Linksfield alumnus, told them that they should get involved in as much as they could as it had coloured her life so much when she was a youngster. 

Cameron immersed herself in the Judaica and Zionism committee, becoming deputy head girl and earning an honours blazer for her involvement. Eden focused on sport, particularly soccer, touch rugby, and tennis, captaining the touch rugby team and serving as a student leader on the awareness and advocacy committee. Tana joined the SMACC (sound, media and communications committee), where she also earned an honours blazer and was a student leader. 

Eden said that their family had a long legacy at King David. “Our mom and aunt were both vice head girls, our grandmother was head girl and later a teacher, and our great aunt was the school secretary. They all helped shape the school in different ways. Tana carried that legacy forward, while Cameron continued their strong involvement in Judaica. Sport was also a big part of our family. They were netball captains, and our great aunt was a tennis captain for three years and later a coach. We’re grateful to have so many parts of our family connected to the school. 

“That’s what has pushed us to be so involved,” said Cameron, “to make sure that over the next five years of school, it wasn’t just coming to school and going home, repeated every single day. It takes a little more than that, and that’s how, ultimately, King David became our home for five years.” 

The girls said that though they had different roles as student leaders, they always made sure that they were cheering each other on. They said that there was barely any competition between them as they have such different interests, though there was some in terms of academics. 

“It was actually kind of easy to support each other when thriving because we came from such different interests,” said Cameron, “In terms of committees, it’s beautiful to be able to thrive in such individually different committees. And we’re so lucky that we have such different interests and passions.” 

Said Tana, “Watching each other thrive was easy. Watching Cameron be vice head girl and Eden flourishing in sport, it was such an honour to watch how many people look up to them.” 

Cameron and Eden are setting off on the Ohrsom gap year, and Tana is doing her own gap year in which she will be travelling. 

“We’re excited because it’s such fun. We’ve always been gap-year people. We’ve always loved travelling, especially after such a hectic year,” said Cameron. 

The triplets all got distinctions, with Eden getting 7, Cami 6, and Tana two.