15-year-old Robbie is a future star of the stage and screen, but his journey to fame has certainly been harder than most.
Born with a large lump on his lower back, Robbie was diagnosed with a rare form of spina bifida at birth, and immediately transferred to a specialist children’s hospital.
The shocking diagnosis in their newborn turned elation to fear for parents Sally and Stuart.
“The first year was the hardest, as no-one could tell us exactly how this would effect Robbie”, says Sally.
At five months old Robbie was fitted with his first orthopaedic device to support his right leg. To Sally and Stuart’s relief, Robbie continued to reach all his developmental milestones as he grew.
At just 12 months old however, Robbie underwent a six-hour neurosurgery to free his spinal cord from the lump on his back. It was a terrifying time for the family, but thankfully the surgery was successful.
Throughout his young life, Robbie has endured multiple hospital admissions, setbacks, and surgeries.
“The hardest thing for Robbie is the school he has missed. The loss of mobility when he needs to stay off his legs and use a wheelchair is also difficult for him,” says Mum, Sally.
Robbie is so committed to his studies in the dramatic arts that, wherever possible, he chooses to schedule his surgeries during the holidays to minimise his time away from school.
With so many hospital admissions over the years, Robbie has developed a wonderful connection with Starlight’s services.
When he was younger, Robbie and his older brother Hamish loved to go to the Starlight Express Room and play the vintage arcade games. In Sally’s words
“The Starlight Express Room provided a great incentive for the boys to go to the hospital, and as a parent, it was great to know that they were having fun together.”
Captain Starlight also helped Robbie get his first taste of on-screen fame with appearances on Starlight TV including phoning in quiz answers from his hospital bed when he wasn’t able to get to the Starlight Express Room in person.
As he has grown older, Robbie has enjoyed the Livewire in hospital program for teens which takes place in the Starlight Express Room in the evenings. He also enjoys interacting with other outpatient teens through Livewire online and entering their competitions in pursuit of awesome prizes!
There is no doubt however, that the absolute highlight of Robbie’s Starlight journey has been receiving his Starlight Wish!
As soon as Robbie learned he would be granted a Starlight Wish, he knew EXACTLY what he wanted to do. The ultimate adventure for a passionate, creative, and intelligent theatre kid? A Hamilton theatre experience of course!!
Robbie, together with his mum and aunty, travelled to Melbourne for an unforgettable weekend of theatre, food and sightseeing.
The trio enjoyed exploring the laneways and funky graffiti art that Melbourne is famous for, before hopping in a limousine for a VIP journey to see Hamilton at the beautiful Her Majesty’s Theatre.
Robbie was overcome with emotion at getting to see his favourite Broadway musical performed live exclaiming “It’s amazing, I love it so much!” during the intermission break.
Before flying home, the group also took in the pop musical phenomenon Six to round out their weekend of luxury and fun. For the family, a lifetime of memories was made.
Sally would like to extend a huge thank you to the Starlight supporters who keep Starlight’s services running.
“Without Starlight, Robbie would have had a completely different journey. Kids need a distraction, to have fun, and to forget about the medical stuff for a while. Starlight’s programs have directly improved Robbie's quality of life, replacing negative memories with positive ones.”
