A colourful, larger-than-life mural has made its home in Sydney Olympic Park’s Accor Stadium, shining a light on the strength of a two-time teenage cancer survivor.
At just 16-years-old, Molly Croft has already gone through more than what most people experience their whole lives, having survived Osteosarcoma bone cancer not just once, but twice.
Her diagnosis led to her spending 10 months at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, 30 weeks in intensive chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, which saw the removal of most of the bone and knee in her right leg.
Despite Croft’s story of strength, the now cancer-free teenager said she was surprised to be told about the plan for a mural in her honour.
“I was in shock a little bit, for me I don’t do anything I do for the accolades or anything like that,” she told Parra News.
“To have something that was so visual of myself was a bit of a ‘wow’ moment. I was umming and ahing about it, I think it came to the deciding factor that even though it is me up there it’s for sarcoma awareness and for all those kids coming behind me.”
‘Molly’s Rainbow’, bought to life by artist Reuben Boughtwood, stretches across a wall in the level one public concourse, measuring a whopping 17m by 8.5m in size.
A small ceremony was recently held onsite for the reveal of the mural with Croft, her family and Accor Stadium staff.
“I came around the corner and I didn’t realise how big it was going to be, it was absolutely huge!” Croft said.
“It was incredible, I actually have no words about it.”
Croft is hoping ‘Molly’s Rainbow’ will raise awareness of Osteosarcoma and is encouraging visitors to the stadium to read the plaque next to the mural.
“There isn’t that many kids who survive sarcoma, so if they can take the time to read that and be aware of sarcoma then that’s all I can hope for,” she said.
“It’s just really special to have a little part of me in Accor because I did get sick and Westmead became my home for so long, I was always in Parramatta, in Church Street there, so it’s really special to not just have a part of me at a sporting centre, at Accor, but also Parramatta.”
Now in year 11, the teenager has big goals for the future, with continuing to co-run The Tie Dye Project top of her list.
“I have the Tie Dye Project, so that’s mine and Amy Parmenter’s, she is one of our Australian Diamond Netballers… I met her in hospital in 2018, together we started up the Tie Dye Project,” Croft said.
“We tie dye lots of things, sell them and raise money for sarcoma.”
The mural was done through the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation’s (SCHF) Movement of Many, the name given to SCHF’s community of donors, supporters and partners, which Accor Stadium is a part of.
To support SCHF go to http://www.schf.org.au.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.