For police officer Matt Carpenter, his daughter Sarah's leukaemia diagnosis within days of her fifth birthday in October was shattering.
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Luckily for him, he's got good mates in the force who have rallied around to support him.
![Support out in force as Carpenter raises money for daughter Support out in force as Carpenter raises money for daughter](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/3ece9dd3-2dea-437a-96fa-a2fce6dd9138.jpg/r0_0_729_373_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Yesterday this support took the form of a charity cricket match in O'Connor.
It was members of ACT Policing's Criminal Investigations versus the people of Traffic Operations.
On the cricket field, the detectives have defeated Traffic Operations on three occasions. Their winning streak continued yesterday when Criminal Investigations scored an impressive (indeed, implausible-sounding) 760 and Traffic Operations managed 527. That said, the match had modified rules.
The event aimed to raise about $1000 to help with the costs of Sarah's treatment, which involves plenty of travel between Canberra, where she lives, and the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick. Some players on the day wore shirts emblazoned with ''Supporting Sarah'' and a photograph of the little girl, who has lost all her hair.
The match also featured guest umpire Constable Kenny Koala and another law-enforcement marsupial, Constable Kip Koala, who bowled a few overs.
Traffic Operations first constable Carpenter, of Fraser, expressed his gratitude for his colleagues.
''It's very humbling,'' he said. ''They say the police force is like a family and it's only when something like this happens that you realise that it is. You can rely on every single one of them.''
Sarah was to attend yesterday's match, but was at the Canberra Hospital being checked as she had become unwell again. Her prognosis is good, though she could require a bone marrow transfer in the future, depending on how she responds to her treatment. At the moment, she is just trying to avoid everything from colds to the chicken pox, which could cause problems given the suppression of her immune system.
- To support Sarah's leukaemia treatment, donations can be made into the account name of O'Sullivan & Johnson Carpenter Fundraising Account, account number 144467958, BSB 633000.