Starlight
Proud Supporters of the Starlight Children's Foundation
Solar Battery Group have a vision to do more in Australia than just help people save on their energy bills.
We have partnered with the Starlight Children's Foundation to take this vision to new heights, with a goal of raising funds to power the happiness of seriously ill children and their families.
With this commitment, we are powering joy and laughter to sick Aussie kids in Starlight Express Rooms around the country. These bright medical-free havens are filled with fun, music, craft and games - a place where kids can forget about being sick and get down to the serious business of having fun! So, while doctors treat a child's illness, Captain Starlight provides an essential dose of laughter, play and creativity. For sick kids, Captain Starlight makes hospital fun and gives families a much needed break.
Nicolas' Story
Like all superheroes, five-year-old Nicolas knows preparation is everything.
So, to be ready for action in the lead up to his Starlight Wish, Nicolas watched all his favourite superhero movies and practiced his superhero moves!
Nicolas' Starlight Wish was to star in his very own superhero movie. And his wish came true in spectacular style complete with film set, blockbuster special effects and a ride in a limo. His Starlight Wish was a bright moment after years of battling illness. When he was just three, the family received the devastating news that Nicolas had Leukaemia.
“The diagnosis was a complete shock. It was a routine visit to the paediatrician and by that afternoon our world was shattered,”
– Nicolas' mum Mary.
Despite everything Nicolas has been through, he's still so brave and adventurous.
Nicolas faced agonising rounds of treatment and long stays in hospital isolation. It was so hard for him to be apart from his dad and big sister Erica who he idolizes. Your support goes a long way. The smiles and laughter I enjoyed seeing on my boy's face during the worst time of his life was “priceless,” - Nicolas' mum Mary.
Thankfully, because of the generosity of supporters, Starlight was there helping him through the darkest times.
In hospital he could visit the Starlight Express Room, have some fun and take a break from the reality of his illness.
“Seeing Nicolas laugh and play with Captain Starlight, gave me hope and joy that Nicolas would recover and could still enjoy his childhood while fighting cancer,” Mary said.
Planning for his wish and getting to be a superhero on a movie set was an experience he'll never forget.
Mary said thanks to Starlight, Nicolas now believes that anything is possible!
Oliver's Story
When four-year-old Oliver woke up one morning and said,
“Mummy, I can't sit up,” his mum Belinda never imagined the trauma that lay ahead.
Within a few hours, he was in such excruciating pain that Belinda took him to the local hospital. By the following morning, Oliver was unable to walk and he was taken to a children's hospital in a special ambulance.
Belinda recalls the fear and devastation facing the unknown head on. “It was a blur of uncertainty; tests, scans, needles and doctors desperately trying to control Oliver's pain.”
Tests ultimately showed that Oliver had Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) a rare neurological disorder where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the nervous system. Oliver was paralysed from the shoulders down but thankfully could breathe on his own.
“Without Starlight we would not have survived those long months in hospital. Captain Starlight broke up the day, made Oliver smile, gave me a break and gave our family something to look forward to.”
– Oliver's mum Belinda.
Belinda said the diagnosis left them shattered. “No one could tell us what our road to recovery looked like - days, weeks, months, was he ever going to fully recover? I cried for days.”
From that moment on, hospital became their life. Oliver's baby brother Will was only nine months old and Belinda said it was heartbreaking being apart from him and her husband Ryan. “I was in intensive care with Oliver for days on end, unable to leave his bedside,” said Belinda.
Amid the family's unbearable sadness, Captain Starlight arrived, and Belinda said the impact on Oliver was instant.
“The Captains made Oliver laugh for the first time since he'd been admitted,” she said. “Once he was well enough to go in a wheelchair, we would bribe him to get out of his hospital bed to go to see Captain Starlight in the Starlight Express Room.”
The Starlight Express Room helped Oliver cope with the scary world of hospital. He loved playing games, having his face painted and dressing up as a superhero just like Captain Starlight! When extended family visited Oliver in hospital, they also enjoyed the fun and respite of the Starlight Express Room too.
“A lot of Oliver's physical gains were made in the Starlight Express Room. He happily moved and crawled around and didn't even realise he was doing rehab!” she said.
While hospital remains part of Oliver's life, Belinda is so thankful Starlight is there for them.
“Starlight is invaluable. Oliver has so many good memories of our time in hospital which is so important as it is very easy to get caught up in how horrible it was. I can't imagine how we would have coped without Captain Starlight.”
