Jackson's Merry Snow Wish
Five-year-old Jackson combines his big imagination with his love of Christmas to come up with his ultimate snow wish at Mt Hotham
Snow obsessed with Christmas
5-year-old Jackson loves Christmas so much that he wears Christmas socks all year round and watches 'The Grinch' on repeat. But there’s one big question Jackson has: 'Why doesn’t it snow at Christmas in Australia?'
Jackson's ultimate wish 'for a snowy Christmassy adventure' came true when he and his family (including his two older brothers, Jayden and Jai) adventured to Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps.
From swimming, fishing, and riding dirt bikes, Jackson and his brothers enjoyed tobogganing and an array of other frosty-fun activities in the snow!
Imagination and wonder
Brooke said that Jackson has a big imagination and that he thrives on a sense of wonder.
“I think that's why he loves Christmas so much, because there's so much magic and you can make something so big and exciting out of it. It’s not knowing what’s going to happen next! He loves the tinsel, the lights, the gingerbread, and the random little presents”, said Brooke.
For Jackson and his family, Christmas begins in mid-November every year. Beginning with the Christmas Tree, the smell of freshly baked gingerbread also wafts through their home.
“Then on Christmas Eve, the Elf brings them all matching Christmas pyjamas, and they all get a book that we read or a movie to watch on Christmas Eve. Something we can do as a family,” said Brooke.
These are the special things we do at Christmas that they all look forward to. They’ve associated these things now with Christmas, which was my goal.
Brooke, Jackson's mum
A family pulled apart
When Jackson’s mum, Brooke was told Jackson had a Wilm’s tumour on his kidney and needed to be rushed to Brisbane hospital, the biggest shock was finding out they had to stay there, indefinitely.
Month after month, Jackson and Brooke stayed in Brisbane while the rest of the family remained at home interstate. As you can imagine, it was incredibly hard for the entire family to be apart for so long while Jackson was having treatment so far away.
“I struggled not seeing the other boys for months and missing special occasions. David (Jackson's dad) also struggled not being able to see Jackson during such a tough time.”
Jackson was only three years old at the time, Brooke had to simply explain that his kidney wasn’t working properly and needed to be taken out to make sure he didn’t become sick. Thankfully the Wilms’ tumour was diagnosed at stage 1. But Jackson still needed intensive surgery to remove the kidney, followed by a grueling round of chemotherapy.
“It was really hard for Jackson, being isolated from his family. While he was having treatment, he wasn’t really allowed to go anywhere or do anything,” said Brooke. “I don't know how many times he said to me: ‘I just want to go and ride my bike’ or ‘I just want to go home’ or ‘I just want to go to Grandpa's’.
Being separated was the hardest part. Covid then also stopped us being able to see each other.
Brooke, Jackson's mum
Wish come true
Jackson's wish took off with a flight to Melbourne, and a private coach drive up to Mt Hotham in the Victorian Alps.
Jackson's family spent four fun-filled days exploring Mt Hotham and all it had to offer - including a range of activities at the Mt Hotham Snowstuff Park, where the family took on the toboggan slopes, enjoyed hot chocolates, and built numerous snow-people!
The wish was not only a time to celebrate Jackson reaching his five-year mark of officially being in remission, but it was a time for the family to be together and make new life-long memories.
“We have all had to adjust to new schools, new jobs, a new town, a new everything. The wish was a chance for us all to spend some quality time together as a family and reflect on how far we’ve come.”
Wish offers hope and distraction
But Jackson’s wish gave him a chance to think big. It helped him look beyond his illness – to a future full of hope, joy, and snowflakes.
“When we met with Make-A-Wish for the first time, they told Jackson: ‘Make this wish as big as you can! Get creative and think outside the box!'" remembers Brooke. "Coming up with different ideas took his mind off what was in front of him – his treatment. It gave him somewhere else to go.”
"Giving families and children something to look forward to in such a hard time is really important. Sometimes that's the only thing that gets you through that day. The fact that you've got something to look forward to. Because when you're sitting in the hospital with those four walls, it can be really hard to even look past the door."
