Isla's story

It broke Madison's heart to hear her daughter Isla say to her, "Mamma, I just want my 'kaemia' to go away."

Just weeks before her fifth birthday, Isla was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

She was admitted to hospital for urgent treatment.

Suddenly, instead of happily playing princesses with her little sister Allegra, Isla's world was filled with surgery, chemo and endless needles and medicines.

Isla needed regular blood tests which filled her with terror. The only thing that helped was having Captain Starlight there to distract her.

"Isla hates needles; it's so distressing for her. The Captain Starlights made a world of difference joking around, making her smile helping her forget all the horrible treatment," her mum said.

Whenever Captain Starlight visited Isla on the cancer ward, her face lit up and she felt less scared and alone.

"Starlight brings that spark and joy back into Isla's life. I don't want to think about our hospital life without Starlight because they play such an important and special role in our cancer journey."

- Isla's mum