Chloe’s precious dose of stardust
Donations provide a little joy in the lives of sick kids
STARLIGHT Children’s Foundation is calling for Australians to dig deep and donate this month to help make hospitals happier places for sick children.
Tax-deductible donations made before June 30 will help take Starlight closer to its fundraising goal of $1.1m, which will help provide invaluable services and hospital programs to more than 28,000 children.
Four-year-old Chloe was diagnosed with a Wilms
tumour last year, leading to an intensive operation to remove the cantaloupe-sized tumour along with her left kidney, as well as months of chemotherapy.
Her mother, Rosie, was a long-term supporter of the organisation and had Starlight as her wedding bomboniere in 2009.
“It’s weird now to be on the receiving end,” she said.
“There were a lot of times when Chloe was really resistant to go to hospital but we could entice her with Starlight because she knew she could have fun there. I can’t imagine going to hospital and not having Starlight there to help put a smile on her face.”
The organisation runs programs in hospitals such as Captain Starlight and the Starlight Express Rooms, in which volunteers run activities such as musical jam sessions, painting, making balloon animals and live magic shows.
Always “full of beans and keeping up with her big sisters”, Tilly and Lulu, Chloe had only just started day care when she received her diagnosis.
“It was hard for her to spend time away from the family and to go through different medical procedures all the time and not understand why,” Rosie said.
“Having these programs took her out of that scary medical world.”
Starlight chief executive Louise Baxter said diagnoses of serious illness in childhood can “change a child’s life and their family’s forever”.
“Starlight transforms the hospital and healthcare experience for these families, connects them with others going through a similar journey and replaces the pain and fear of treatment with fun, joy and laughter,” she said.
“At Starlight, we know happiness in childhood truly matters.”
A tax-deductible donation can be made before June 30 at starlight.org.au.