Seven-year-old Broly has been obsessed with trains for as long as his parents Corinne and Robert can remember! There are train tracks set up all over the family home, and nobody is allowed to touch them until he says so! Broly’s family describe him as “a funny, silly, crazy, active guy”.
In the lead up to Broly’s fourth birthday, his whole family was sick with Influenza A. As the family recovered a week or so later, it seemed Broly was unable to shake the virus.
One evening, Broly woke up, vomited, and then collapsed. Corinne and Robert rushed him straight to the local hospital, where he began to have seizures. The decision was made to airlift Broly and Corinne, who was eighteen weeks pregnant at the time, to the nearest children’s hospital.
Broly was placed into a coma in the Intensive Care Unit and sent for a series of scans.
By the time the results came in, Robert had arrived at the hospital with Broly’s older sister Trinity, and both Broly’s grandmothers were there as well.
What the family heard next would shake them to their core. Broly had a tumour the size of a tennis ball in his brain. If it was not removed immediately, Broly would not live to see the morning.
“There was just a sense of numbness and disbelief,” recalls Corinne. “The room went very quiet, and everyone was just in shock trying to process the information. It felt like the whole world had been ripped out from under us.”
The tumour was successfully removed that day, and the family waited anxiously to see how Broly would be affected. Thankfully, test results showed the tumour was slow growing, and that Broly would not require chemotherapy or radiation. He was placed in a quiet, dark room to allow his brain to recover.
When Broly finally woke after a few days, it was clear the tumour and surgery had taken their toll. At four-years-old Broly had to relearn how to walk, talk, sit, eat and use the bathroom all over again. Broly’s parents say it was “like having a four-year-old newborn”. It was an incredibly difficult time for the whole family.
When Broly was ready, Captain Starlight began to visit his room to bring some fun back into his life. When the Captains saw Broly’s room decorated with trains, they pulled out all the stops to come up with their best train jokes and games! They would spend time sitting with Broly and talking about trains when he was bed-ridden and played songs on their ukulele to help Broly smile.
Broly’s sister Trinity loved to spend time in the Starlight Express Room and loved to play with the Lego while she was there.
When Broly was relearning to walk, his therapists would set him the challenge of walking to the Starlight Express Room to motivate him to keep moving. A play with Captain Starlight was a great reward for a job well done!
While Broly was granted a Starlight Wish while he was in hospital, his parents chose to wait until he was a bit older, so he’d be able to choose for himself. Ultimately though, there was only every going to be one outcome!
By seven, Broly was still as obsessed as ever with his beloved trains — steam trains are his favourites!
For Broly’s Starlight Wish he spent an incredible day as "trainee train driver" of South Australia’s famous Pichi Richi steam train. Wearing his very own train driver’s outfit, Broly was a true “boss for the day”. He helped drive the train, refuel the coal, and made sure all the brakes were up to scratch! He was so excited he could barely sleep in the lead up to the big day.
Corinne and Robert loved that the whole family was able to join Broly on this special day. Sisters Trinity and Zelda were so excited to see their brother’s dream coming true.
“This is an experience Broly will remember forever,” says Corinne “and it’s only confirmed his dream of being a train driver when he’s eighteen”.
Corinne and Robert were especially touched that Broly was able to share his special day with train driver John, who was celebrating his last day on the job before retiring.
“It was such a huge milestone for them both, and just added to how special the whole day was. John really took Broly under his wing!”
Broly couldn’t wait to tell his school mates about his amazing day and spent a whole half hour sharing his experience during show and tell the following day!
As Broly is now continues to do well, with only half yearly scans to ensure he stays cancer free, the whole family are so thankful for all the experiences they have had through Starlight.
“To those who support Starlight”, they write, “all we can say is thank you! You have made a phenomenal difference to a sick kid's life.”
