Lotte's mum never imagined that her newborn daughter could have cancer. But at just 12 weeks old, baby Lotte was diagnosed with cancer of the eye.
"Instead of worrying about when our newborn would sleep through the night, we were worrying about whether her cancer had spread" says Lotte's mum Mindy.
Shockingly, another active tumour was detected when she was four.
Lotte became traumatised by a lifetime of painful and scary procedures, and would scream and cry in fear as nurses performed her vital care.
Troubled by her distress, Lotte's medical team reached out to Starlight's Captains on Call program for help.
Specially trained Captain Starlights joined Lotte's treatment team to help provide some positive distraction, supporting and playing with Lotte as she faced her scary procedures.
For Lotte, the positive impact of having Captain Starlight on her care team has been huge.
"Instead of feeling anxious, Lotte now lights up with excitement when she hears the Captain's ukuleles coming down the hall" says Lotte's mum Mindy.
"The Captains on Call program has been life-changing for us."
Here's how your donation will help
$39
helps bring the fun of Captain Starlight to a sick child's bedside
$78
will allow Captain Starlight to distract a child during scary treatment
$117
will help Captain Starlight lessen the trauma of treatments for even more sick kids
The power of your support
The Captains on Call program delivers the fun and distraction seriously ill children need to cope with the distress of treatment.
Through Captains on Call, Captain Starlight:
distracts kids with fun and laughter to help them cope with painful scary procedures
supports health care teams by reducing patient distress during treatment
helps lessen the ongoing trauma of treatment for seriously ill children
provides a constant support throughout the treatment journey for sick kids and their families