Ten years on, we catch up with 9,000th Starlight Wish recipient Gabe
The film Crocodile Dundee holds a special place in many people’s hearts. For 17-year-old Gabe, it’s much more than an iconic movie.
Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia when he was just five years old, Gabe spent years on end in hospital undergoing surgery and treatment.
To help break up his long, lonely stays in hospital, Gabe loved the distraction of watching movies on the big screen in the Starlight Express Room. One day Gabe came across the Australian classic - Crocodile Dundee.
Instantly he was hooked!
His mum Marshia remembers the joy on her son’s face. “Gabe watched Crocodile Dundee constantly in hospital. He was in awe of all the open space and dreamed of the freedom he saw on screen,” she said.
In 2015, when Gabe was granted his Starlight Wish, he didn't think twice. He wanted to explore the Australian Outback just like his hero Mick Dundee!
After so much time isolated in hospital and missing being with his family, Gabe’s wish took him and his family on an adventure of a lifetime exploring Uluru and Kakadu.
Gabe loved the freedom of escaping his gruelling rounds of treatment and being far away from the world of hospital.
Now, ten years on, Marshia reflects on Gabe’s wish and says it was such a healing journey.
“We came together as a family after having gone through so much pain and sadness. We were able to enjoy the freedom and stillness of Gabe’s wish,” she said.
Gabe is currently in his final years of high school and enjoys playing soccer and spending time with his friends. He also loves playing with his beloved dog who was his ‘isolation friend’ helping him through his recovery from transplant surgery and remains his loyal best friend to this day!
“Even now, all the children still look back so fondly on Gabe’s adventure. We remember the amazing adventures we had, the wide-open spaces and the laughter we shared together,” Marshia said.
And for Gabe, his wish has given him so many positive happy memories. “I loved every minute of my very own Crocodile Dundee adventure!” he said.
Gabe’s wish - Starlight’s 9,000th - granted in 2015, was made possible thanks to the incredible support of our official Wishgranting Partner, Virgin Australia. This year we celebrate 15 years of our partnership with Virgin helping to grant the life-changing happiness of Starlight Wishes to seriously ill children and their families.
