Camera a welcome snapshot in journey
The sadness around Tye's difficult medical journey was lifted when his wish for a camera was granted.
The wish also inspired his mum Kellee to become a Make-A-Wish volunteer.
Wish inspires Tye and his mum
Tye’s serious brain condition has taken things away from him.
The once-budding rugby league player is no longer mobile. Emotionally, it is a constant struggle. Tye is still unwell and doesn’t have opportunities to socialise.
But for mum Kellee, Tye’s wish for a camera left a lasting impact on them both.
“The wish is stuck in his brain, and I know he’s not forgetting it,” Kellee said.
“It was kindness. And in those moments where you are going through something like a brain cancer, kindness is unforgettable.”
For Kellee, the impact of the wish on her was simple: it inspired her to become a Make-A-Wish volunteer.
“I was so grateful for my son receiving a wish that I felt like I needed to give back,” she said.
“I needed to say thank you to Make-A-Wish for gifting my son something I wouldn’t have been able to do for him.”
Diagnosis 'most heartbreaking news'
Tye was diagnosed five years ago, aged 14, with a craniopharyngioma brain tumour.
Kellee said her son was sick for quite some time, and they saw a succession of medical experts without getting any clarity.
Then, all of a sudden, one day when Kellee’s mum took Tye for an MRI, their worlds changed.
“I was working and the doctor called me at work and she just said ‘I need you to go sit down and I need somebody with you’ and my stomach dropped,” Kellee said.
“And she said he has a brain tumour.
“It was just the most heartbreaking news. And I live it every day. I remember the conversation, I remember the date, I remember the time. That moment is burnt into my brain.”
We were only supposed to be in hospital for two days. We ended up being in there for two months
Kellee, wish mum
The hug that Kellee will always treasure
There’s a photo of a moment in time that Kellee will never forget.
It was taken just before Tye’s biopsy surgery.
Tye was laying on a bed as Kellee wrapped her left arm around him.
“I kind of got annoyed at my mum for taking it when she took it, but now it’s like such a treasured piece,” Kellee said.
“It’s the last time I’ve ever been able to hug him.”
Tye came out of the surgery a different boy.
“He was like just yelling, he was name calling,” Kellee said.
“I just sat on the bed, and I just remember looking and I asked the doctor like, ‘Who is this? What happened to him, where is my child?’
“We were only supposed to be in hospital for two days. We ended up being in there for two months.”
Kellee said post-surgery Tye hated physical touch.
“To watch your child be sick and going through something so horrible and not be able to hug them and hold them, it's a hell in itself,” Kellee said.
“It is torture. It's the most horrible, horrible thing.”
Face lights up when wish is granted
Kellee’s best friend and Make-A-Wish volunteer Gabby suggested that Tye apply for a wish.
“I just thought if I can bring some kind of happiness to him, why wouldn’t I? So I applied for a wish,” Kellee said.
Before Tye got sick he had a TikTok page, and he would post edits of National Rugby League games. Kellee said he had about 20,000 followers.
So, Kellee and Tye talked about how he could wish for a camera, and then he could take his own footage for social media.
Tye embraced the idea and the wheels started moving on the wish at Make-A-Wish HQ in Melbourne.
For his 2024 wish, Tye received a Sony camera, a sports lens, a camera bag, a monopod and a flash.
“When Tye’s wish came true, I still remember sitting there just watching his little face light up,” Kellee said.
“I guess that's what Make-A-Wish is all about. You can't fix their problems, you can't make their health better, but you can just put a smile on their face for a moment.
“And one thing that I've learned along Tye’s journey is you just have to collect those little moments of happiness because that's what life is really all about.”
While limited by his ongoing illness, Tye – now aged 19 - has managed to take the camera out to capture local soccer and also the family cat.
Kellee helps bring ideas to life
As Tye’s wish progressed, Kellee began considering becoming a Make-A-Wish volunteer.
And fuelled by a desire to give back, she joined her local Branch in 2022.
“We make absolutely wild imaginations come to life,” Kellee said.
“In the absolute despair our Wish kids face, we bring a smile and moments that take their mind off whatever they are going through.
“If I can help bring their ideas to life, I think that's the absolute best thing that I can do for somebody.”
