Helping Hospital Feel More Like Home: How Queenslanders Can Support Sick Kids This Tax Time
When Georgia was born, her heart wasn’t whole – but her story is one of resilience, love, and the strength of community.
Diagnosed with a severe heart condition before birth, Georgia underwent the first of three open-heart surgeries at just a few days old. Her family had to relocate from Townsville to Brisbane, leaving behind their home, their support network, and their sense of normality.
For Georgia’s mum Larissa, hospital became their new home, a place filled with both fear and hope. And it was through the support of the Children’s Hospital Foundation that comfort, colour, and care came into their lives during those toughest moments.
“There was a point we were told Georgia might not make it,” Larissa recalls. “The support we received during those moments – when we could hardly function – meant everything. From the therapies that soothed her, to spaces like Kidzone that brought joy to her big sister Emilia, we were able to focus wholly on Georgia.”
Now, the Children’s Hospital Foundation is calling on Queenslanders to help make hospital feel more like home for the sickest kids across the state – children like Georgia, and families like hers who find themselves navigating unfamiliar hallways and overwhelming emotions.
Each year, children from across Queensland, northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory travel to Queensland Children’s Hospital for urgent medical care. With one in three coming from outside Greater Brisbane – far from home and the comforts that come with it.
“With 45,000 in-patients admitted to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in the past financial year alone, Georgia’s story is a powerful reminder that for many families, hospital isn’t just a place of treatment – it becomes their home, sometimes for months or even years” said Lyndsey Rice, CEO of the Children’s Hospital Foundation. “The generosity of our donors helps us provide services that offer joy, distraction, and a sense of normalcy to children and their families, allowing them to focus on what matters most – healing.”
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This tax time, Queenslanders can help by making a deductible donation to Children’s Hospital Foundation. Contributions directly fund vital wraparound services like music therapy, play spaces, the in-hospital library service, and toy drives, and more – all designed to bring light into the darkest days.
As part of the Foundation’s 2025 campaign, supporters are also invited to take part in the Virtual Gallery of Home. A statewide initiative that asks Queenslanders of all ages to reflect on what home means to them and submit a drawing of their home with a message to show kids in hospital they are surrounded by care, even when far from everything familiar.
“We know Queenslanders are a generous bunch and this is a beautiful way for the community to share love and hope with those families facing some of the toughest times of their lives,” said Rice. “Together, we can create a virtual hug – one drawing at a time.”
To donate and upload your drawing of home, visit childrens.org.au/home. Your generosity will help the Children’s Hospital Foundation make hospital feel more like home – and help bring more kids like Georgia one step closer to theirs.
