Jaxon’s world was shattered when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
“It was so sudden,“ his mum Melissa said. “We were in shock and disbelief to hear this diagnosis for our healthy, fit, active little boy.”
Jaxon endured eight months of chemotherapy, plus radiation therapy and a bone marrow transplant. Six months of immunosuppressants meant long, lonely days in isolation due to the increased risk of infection.
During his agonising months of treatment, six-year-old Jaxon would sit by his hospital window to watch the helicopters come and land on the hospital helipad. It helped take his mind off the pain and isolation of suddenly living in hospital.
It was heartbreaking for Jaxon to be away from his sister Bella and brother Logan. He missed playing soccer with his friends and being outside running around.
“The hardest part for Jaxon was not physically being able to do things he enjoys like simply kicking a ball,” his mum said.
The family’s life was turned on its head. Melissa had to stop work to live with Jaxon in Brisbane and dad Kirstian had to reduce his hours significantly to be there for Bella and Logan at home on the Sunshine Coast and travel to and from the hospital as much as possible.
Thankfully, Jaxon had the fun of Captain Starlight in hospital to help bring him some vital moments of happiness.
When he was confined to the ward, Jaxon would look forward to dialling into the Starlight Express Room to play Bingo via Starlight TV. He would even write reminders on the white board in the room with the number to call to chat with the Captains!
“The Captain Starlights were a great distraction for Jaxon and gave him something fun to look forward to on those long days stuck in a hospital room,” Melissa said.
After nearly 12 months of treatment and countless painful procedures, Jaxon received the exciting news that he’d been granted his Starlight Wish.
As a fan of planes and helicopters, his wish was for a ride in a chopper and to visit the helicopter training academy. Jaxon reads endless books about helicopters and knows every fun fact imaginable about them!
For his wish, Jaxon trained to become a co-pilot using the flight simulator at the training centre. He then put his training into action getting to co-pilot in a real helicopter!
A very special part of Jaxon’s wish was when he got to land the helicopter on the helipad on the top of the children’s hospital - just like he used to watch from his hospital room window.
He also got to “rescue” his dad with the helicopter winch, lifting him up to safety.
“It was such a special family experience to see him so happy,” his mum said. “In hospital, Jaxon would pretend to be a rescue chopper pilot off the end of his bed. His Starlight Wish gave him the chance to experience it for real and is something we will remember forever. It feels like his life has come full circle and we can’t thank you enough.”
