Lawson's Mighty Big Queensland Wish
4-year-old Lawson travels to Queensland to experience his biggest wish—combining his two most favourite things in the world: diggers and sea creatures
A big diagnosis for little Lawson
From the day Lawson was born, his parents, Skye and Damien struggled to feel heard about their concerns for their son's health.
“No one was listening to us. That was so frustrating, so upsetting. Months went by and Lawson wasn’t meeting any of his milestones. He wasn’t crawling, he wasn’t sitting or standing, he wasn’t talking. It got very scary," recalls Skye.
Sadly, Lawson was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that affects the muscles in his body, called muscular dystrophy, when he was two years old.
Challenges of every day life
Describing an average day for Lawson and her family, Skye mentions that it's an everyday struggle.
“The day usually starts with Lawson crying out for help, as he can’t get out of bed on his own...breakfast is the next challenge. Because Lawson can’t break down food, he has a feeding tube that pumps liquid food into his stomach. Using it isn’t very pleasant, so he often doesn’t want to eat."
Skye also says that her son has endless medical appointments, "Up to six or seven a week. Physio, occupational therapy, specialists to help him with his speech and his eating.”
She explains how heartbreaking it is that Lawson feels anxious about playing with other kids because of his feeding tube and that he wonders why other kids can do things that he cannot.
The condition makes it almost impossible for Lawson to move around on his own. We’ve been told there’s a 99.9% chance that he will never be able to walk without a frame.
Skye, Lawson's mum
Lawson's wish makes a splash
Despite all that Lawson and his family face daily, his wish 'to go to Queensland and have an awesome digging, exploring adventure' changed their lives.
Together with his close-knit family, including mum, dad, gran, and grandad, Lawson traveled to Queensland, where the first part of his biggest wish came true!
At Sea World, a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Lawson and his family were invited to meet, feed, and pose with some of their most famous dolphins.
“None of us will ever forget going to Sea World. He paddled out into the water and a dolphin swam up and ate fish from his hand! Just magical," said Skye.
Taking control at the 'DIG IT' park
Two days later, Lawson and his family arrived at Tamborine Mountain for the second half of his wish.
At the 'DIG IT' mini excavator park, Lawson was put in the driver's seat; enabled to make his own decisions.
“Lawson had the most fantastic time. Having a go in the driving seat of a digger, piling up big mounds of dirt, he just went wild! And he got to use another machine with a wrecking ball, to knock down a big tower of tyres," said Skye.
After returning home, Skye noticed a real difference in her son's outlook.
“Lawson just couldn’t stop smiling afterwards. He was like a totally different child, all happy and cheeky.”
Will you grant a life-changing wish for sick kids like Lawson?
You can see how Lawson lives a very different life to most other children. But thankfully, now he has his wish to look back on during tough times.
A wish is much more than a fleeting moment of joy. A wish has the power to change lives for the better. It offers hope, sparks joy, and creates positive, lifelong memories.
Will you donate today to help other sick kids like Lawson to Wish Big?