Kobi

When Kobi was only two-years he was diagnosed with an aggressive, life-threatening tumour in his stomach.

For Kobi’s family, this was the start of the longest eighteen months of their lives. Little Kobi had major surgery to immediately remove the tumour and so the family moved to Sydney, 400 kilometres from their home in Port Macquarie.

Even now, three years later, Kobi’s mum Amanda remembers it all too well.

“Kobi had a horrific time. After the operation he had six doses of strong chemo during which he lost all his hair and had a rash so bad he looked like he had third degree burns all over his body.”

Kobi also had a bone marrow transplant and radiation therapy. He spent two and a half months in isolation where only his parents could see him. He suffered from seizures and was regularly vomiting blood.

Kobi’s family lost their house and had to sell a lot of their furniture to pay for the treatment and medication.

Kobi had a total of 55 transfusions and an infection in his heart made him bed-ridden for so long that had to be taught how to walk again.

When Kobi was granted a Starlight Wish, he was so completely amazed and excited and his fighting spirit was restored at a time when he needed it most!

A Starlight Wish is a dream come true for a child battling a chronic illness – and Kobi knew exactly what to wish for...

“All Kobi wanted was a tin boat to go fishing around the world. He’s always been fascinated with fishing and boats. It was heartbreaking because we’d sit in the (pretend) boat in hospital and sing and row our way home to Port Macquarie... And when he received his very own (real) boat he was utterly overwhelmed!”

“Every single day he races home from school and jumps straight into it! It’s his pride and joy. At school, he is now the boy with the boat, not the sick kid.” – Kobi’s mum, Amanda.

Starlight’s Wishgranting program delivers a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for seriously ill children to have their dream come true. Whether this is the first holiday for the whole family, their very own fishing boat or even a walk-on part in one of Australia’s best known TV shows, each wish is entirely individual and designed to give the child something to look forward to during their treatment and provide the family with many happy memories.

Thanks to generous donors all around Australia, Starlight grants a wish every single day, with an average cost of $6,000. To help Starlight continue to make the dreams of sick kids come true, please donate at www.starlight.org.au or call 1300 727 827.