Xander’s mum Linda describes his Starlight Wish as ‘transformational’ for their then 13-year-old boy.

Born with Joubert Syndrome, a rare and degenerative genetic disease, Xander’s condition impacts his balance and coordination. He also suffers from a kidney disease and is gradually losing his vision through a degenerative eye disease. Heading into his teenage years, Xander became increasingly anxious and withdrawn.

As a lifelong fan of the Hawthorn Football Club, Xander’s Starlight wish was to become a Hawk for the day, and meet his favourite player, Jack Gunston.

Xander and his family were flown to Melbourne where his first surprise was a knock at his hotel door from none other than Jack Gunston himself. It was during this visit Xander’s family began to witness his transformation as he chatted away to his idol.

The following day Xander was so excited to join all the players for a behind the scenes tour of the training facilities, leaving mum and dad behind!

While Xander had originally been nervous he may be disoriented or fall running through the team banner, on Saturday, Xander joined the team with a confidence his family had never seen before.

‘Xander’s Starlight wish gave us the opportunity to see our son grown as a person in just three days’ says Linda. ‘He overcame his anxiety, and his verbal interactions improved greatly.’

Xander’s Starlight Wish video also gave his schoolmates an insight into his awesome experience, and showed how well respected he was by the team at Hawthorn.

Showing the video of his Starlight Wish to his schoolmates lead to new social connections for Xander, and a brand new level of self-confidence and purpose.

Fast forward to now: Xander is an elite para-athlete who is currently training hard to be selected for the 2024 Paralympic Games! He is looking forward to a break on Happiness Island with his family.