From the first time they open their eyes, to their very first Christmas, when you welcome a baby into the world, those first moments are something you always look forward to.

But for Scott and Kylie, welcoming the birth of their baby was the start of a long and hard journey to come. 

At just two weeks old, their baby girl Abigail suddenly turned blue. She was quickly rushed to hospital to have open heart surgery. Her parents were told she might not survive. Within months, she needed to undergo her second heart surgery.

The year slowly went by and soon it was Christmas Eve, the day they were supposed to leave the hospital. But unfortunately, Abigail developed septicemia, was placed in intensive care and was put on a ventilator.

The family had been looking forward to their first Christmas with Abigail, but rather than enjoying a day filled with joy, it was a day filled with so much pain and fear.

Sadly, over the years Abigail missed many special family occasions as she received treatment in hospital. But all the while Abigail spent her days dreaming about one day performing at the Sydney Opera house.

Thanks to Starlight, Abigail’s dream came true when she was granted a Starlight Wish at seven years old. She spent a day at the Sydney Opera House dancing and singing on stage with her favourite Captain Starlights – a superhero dedicated to helping sicks kids cope with the uncertainty and worry of hospital and their treatments. 

Each child is unique and so is each Starlight Wish. Starlight Wishes are designed to suit the specific needs of each child and come in all shapes and sizes - from travel wishes to hero wishes, experience wishes and gift wishes...the sky’s the limit!

Starlight Wishes lift spirits and bring families together. They help seriously ill children feel more positive, distract them from pain and reduce fear, stress and anxiety.

That’s why we were proud to donate $250,000 from Golden Casket unclaimed prize money to Starlight Children’s Foundation last month to fund a further 38 Starlight Wishes.

Having fun is part of being a kid and being seriously ill shouldn’t mean missing out on the joy of childhood.

We are delighted to play our part in helping Starlight make more seriously ill children’s dreams come true this Christmas.