The first 125 days of baby Holly’s life were spent in hospital.
Doctors diagnosed her with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (a severe congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped) when her mum Tamara was pregnant.
"We were heartbroken when were told she would go down one of two paths, either need one operation and be hospital for a month or she would need three operations over a number of years," Tamara said.
Sadly, Holly's condition meant she needed multiple operations and she had her first open heart surgery at Queensland Children's Hospital just days after she was born. Four months later she had her second heart surgery.
"It was such a scary time; some days we were unsure if we would even get to bring our daughter home," her mum said.
Holly is the youngest of five. Siblings Emily 12, Lily 13, Kayla 25 and Dylan 23 are very protective of their baby sister and it was traumatic for them to see her go through so much.
Tamara said the first year of Holly's life was incredibly hard on the family. Holly was in so much pain with extreme headaches. There were days when she was too unwell for her brother and sisters to even see her.
"It was like a rollercoaster. Some days were good others were bad. Holly got very sick very easily even from a common virus," mum explains.
In 2019, four-year-old Holly was again in hospital for a month following her third open heart surgery.
Tamara says she can't imagine how they would have coped with hospital without Starlight.
"Starlight brightens kids' days and gives them something to look forward to. The Starlight Express Room gives them a place to escape the wards and all the medical stuff," Tamara said.
When Holly was first born, her siblings would visit the Starlight Express Room most days to help take their minds of everything the family was going through.
As Holly got bigger, going to the Starlight Express Room to have fun helped distract her from all her treatment. Her mum said a visit to the Starlight Express Room became a like a 'reward' for Holly - a goal to get there after her last surgery.
When she was too unwell and confined to her hospital bed, the anticipation of the Starlight Express Room gave Holly something fun and positive to look forward to.
Tamara says that the Starlight Express Room also helped with Holly's recovery.
"The Captain Starlights helped Holly laugh and want to get up and play. I feel they had a big part in her recovery. Without them, it would have taken longer and wouldn't have been easy or as fun," Tamara said.
Starlight helped Tamara and dad Simon as parents cope with the stress and worry of having a child in hospital.
"There's nothing like seeing your child smile and laugh when they're having a bad day. Starlight helps bring a little joy to the hospital day which helps the parents too."
Holly is now at school, doing ballet and learning to swim. She is loving, strong and determined. Holly struggles to walk distances, gets puffed easily and has some delayed gross motor skills, but she doesn’t give up and is the first to give everything a go.
Her mum says while ongoing hospital appointments are stressful, no visit is complete without a trip to the Starlight Express Room.
The family is so thankful Starlight is there - Holly's sister Lily has even raised vital funds for Starlight participating in the Super Swim Challenge.
"Starlight has been a big part of our family and continues to have a wonderful impact. They help make hospital a fun, safe place and help kids recover faster. To see Holly smile and laugh with the Captains is something I won't forget. Please consider donating to help bring smiles to kids in hospital. Every bit helps," Tamara said.
