Eight-year-old Hugh loves Scouts, Minecraft and Star Wars; but his greatest passion, without a doubt, is Lego!
So, when Hugh was told he’d be granted a Starlight Wish as he underwent treatment for a brain tumour there was only one thing on his mind...An amazing Lego party!!!
Hugh’s parents Sarah and Chris first noticed there was something wrong with Hugh when he developed a series of unexplained colds. When he started having headaches accompanied by bouts of vomiting, Sarah and Chris took him to the emergency department.
It took a number of trips as doctors tried to work out what was wrong, and eventually an MRI was ordered. The results of that scan would change the young family’s life forever.
To Chris and Sarah’s great shock and distress, the scan showed a large tumour on Hugh’s brain. He was rushed into surgery for a life-saving operation where doctors worked to remove as much as the tumour as possible.
“We had no idea what the future would hold. We could only focus on life one day at a time. Anything beyond that was too overwhelming.”
Post-surgery, Hugh spent 5 weeks in hospital starting in intensive care, until he was stable enough to move to the ward. Devastatingly, he lost many of his abilities due to his surgery, and had to relearn to walk, talk and write again. Once discharged, Hugh returned to the hospital for multiple weekly appointments of intensive therapy with the physiotherapy and OT team. Importantly, Hugh was determined to rebuild the strength and dexterity to be able to create his beloved Lego masterpieces again.
In the midst of all his trauma, Captain Starlight is a shining light for Hugh.
“Captain Starlight has been there for Hugh from the time he was first admitted into hospital. They provide a great escape from everything medical, and have brought him so much joy”
On the days he was bedridden, Captain Starlight would drop in to visit Hugh on the ward with their ukelele and some silly jokes to help bring some laughter into his day.
When he was well enough, Hugh loved to hang out in the Starlight Express Room playing games, watching movies and doing art and craft.
Not only was it a great place of respite for Hugh, but the Starlight Express Room was also a wonderful place for Hugh to reconnect with his younger siblings, Elliott, Cassandra and Larissa. Due to visiting restrictions, they weren’t able to see Hugh on the ward, so they would all meet in the Starlight Express Room for some much-needed family time.
“The Starlight Express Room became so important for our family. Our kids got to play together, doing normal sibling things and just enjoying each other’s company. It was a peaceful place for us as parents too, where we could have a break from the heaviness of Hugh’s situation and reconnect” says Sarah.
Having Hugh’s Starlight Wish to plan also gave the whole family something to connect over, though Hugh needed very little help settling on an idea!
Hugh’s favourite TV show is Lego Masters so he asked for a Lego party, to share with friends he’d missed so dearly while he recovered from surgery. Hugh put forward the idea, and Starlight’s Wishgranting team set straight to work.
The day of the party was an incredible surprise for Hugh, as he and his friends arrived at a Lego themed party venue for an afternoon of Lego based challenges – just like on his favourite TV show.
As a special surprise, Hugh’s favourite Lego Masters Contestant, Jordy Hocking, was on hand to help the kids with all their Lego builds!!
“Hugh was beside himself to spend the afternoon with his idol!” remembers Sarah.
Not surprisingly, Hugh was the overall challenge winner and finished the day with some fantastic life-long memories.
For Chris and Sarah, Hugh’s wish meant so much more – providing a positive lesson on resilience for their son.
“Hugh’s Starlight Wish gave him the chance to see he doesn’t need to feel limited by his condition, he can still do great things. After his surgery, one of his goals was to be able to build with Lego again. He built amazing things on his wish day, reminding him anything is possible.”
Showing indeed that anything is possible, Hugh turned his mind to helping other sick kids overcome the trauma of their illness through fun and laugher. Hugh dedicated the weeks leading up to his 8th birthday to fundraise for Starlight by selling badges he made, and raised on incredible $2,630 to help other sick kids benefit from a healthy dose of Captain Starlight as they face their own medical traumas.
Way to go Hugh!!
