The start of a new year is usually a happy time filled with the excitement of new possibilities.
For 4-year-old Hudson, nothing could have been further from the truth.
Just days into 2023, parents Brittany and Jake noticed Hudson seemed pale, lethargic and was napping a lot.
When bruises started appearing on his body, they took him to the GP who arranged for urgent blood tests.
The following day, Hudson was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
“Walking through the doors of the children’s hospital, the last thing we ever expected was to be told our little boy had cancer,” mum Brittany said. “We thought maybe he was just low in iron; the diagnosis shattered us.”
Hudson started his gruelling treatment straight away and was immediately thrown into the scary, unfamiliar world of hospital.
At the time, Brittany was 28 weeks pregnant with their third child. Dad Jake had to stop work for the first six months of Hudson’s treatment while Brittany cared for their daughter Myla and prepared for the safe arrival of baby Koa.
“Our life became unrecognisable. We took a big financial hit and just tried to do everything we could to keep things as steady as possible for Myla who’d just started school,” Brittany said.
Hudson was overwhelmed by hospital and the treatment was scary and traumatic. He endured multiple blood transfusions, lumbar punctures, general anaesthetics for surgeries and endless rounds of chemotherapy.
Brittany recalls five healthcare staff needing to keep Hudson calm and still to administer his medicines.
“He was riddled with fear with anxiety about being in hospital - he tried to run away in the hospital car park from his pram - he was so distraught.”
Not long after baby Koa was born, Brittany took over from Jake to be by Hudson’s side. It was a huge juggle for the family, but their focus was to champion Hudson whatever it took.
“Hudson has ADHD, so it was hard for him to process all the treatment that was happening to him - it was just too much for him to grasp,” Brittany explains.
One bright light amid so much anguish was Captain Starlight.
During his treatment, Hudson was often in isolation and unable to visit the Starlight Express Room, so the Captain Starlights brought the fun to him.
The Captains visited Hudson on the ward and played bingo and games to keep him happy and entertained.
“Hudson loved chatting with the Captains because they weren't ‘medical’ to him. They had such a positive impact, they were a breath of fresh air,” Brittany said.
On days when Hudson was too sick to leave his hospital bed he could still tune in to the fun and watch movies on Starlight TV.
“Without Starlight, our time in hospital would have been awful,” Brittany said.
Once Hudson was on maintenance chemo, he was able to be back at home. But his low immunity meant he was frequently readmitted to hospital with infections and colds.
Brittany said every time Hudson had to go back to hospital was hard, but knowing Starlight was there helped ease every trip.
“The Starlight Express Room became an oasis for us,” his mum said. “Hudson liked gaming and doing arts and crafts - it really helped take his mind off the waiting around for his blood tests.”
Late last year Hudson was well enough to return to pre-school and while hospital trips continued, no visit was complete without seeing the Captains in the Starlight Express Room.
March 2025 marked an incredible milestone when Hudson finished his treatment. He ‘rang the bell’ in hospital to celebrate being cancer-free and invited the Captain Starlights to be by his side for this big moment.
“After two tough years of leukaemia, this was such an amazing moment for Hudson. Life has settled down for him and he’s starting to feel like a normal kid again,” Jake said.
Hudson is thriving in kindy and slowly getting back to doing all the things he loves - being outdoors and playing with his friends and siblings.
“Starlight has had such a positive impact on all of us - not just Hudson and his siblings but us as parents. Starlight helps everyone take a break and better cope with hospital – we can’t imagine what it would be like without it,” Jake said.
