“It’s hard to describe what I’m feeling right now . . . this is the happiest he’s been for a long time.”
These are the words of a devoted father who has spent months watching his sick 10-year-old fight a gruelling health battle — yet one visit from Australia’s very own ray of sunshine, brought his personality back.
The true, heartbreaking purpose of Telethon laid itself bare across the wards of Perth Children’s Hospital on Saturday morning.
Just hours before the lights flickered on at RAC Arena for the 26-hour marathon broadcast, TV favourites, sporting legends and generous actors paid a visit to PCH to bring smiles to some of our State’s little health battlers.
For Shaun Versace, watching his non-verbal 10-year-old son Timmy interact with his hero, Emma Memma, was a moment he will never forget.
Timmy couldn’t believe who was there with him. He clapped frantically, leaned in for endless tight hugs, and eagerly signed back and forth with the beloved children’s entertainer.
“He’s a huge fan of Emma,” Mr Versace said.
“Because he has been sick and stuck in hospital we haven’t been able to get to her shows much, so this is really special.
“It’s hard to describe what I’m feeling right now. This is the happiest he’s been for a long time.”
Emma Memma herself was visibly moved, admitting the emotional weight of the morning brought her to tears.
“Well, visiting the kids is always my favourite,” she said. “I think this is really what Telethon’s about.
“You’re actually seeing children that are benefiting from people coming together and bringing that community spirit. I don’t normally cry, but I did today.
“You can’t really believe that you can make a difference in people’s lives, and if me being here is going to make the difference for this one child, then that’s absolutely the one thing that I need to do.”
In another ward was seven-month-old Emily Waters.
Born on February 6 and weighing just 400 grams, tiny Emily spent eight agonising weeks on a ventilator after she was born, leaving her with chronic lung disease.
Sunrise stars Natalie Barr and Sally Bowrey spent time with Emily’s father, Jamie Waters, who opened up about the challenges his family has faced.
“It’s been a hard two years,” he said. “We had two little girls and they came very early and very small.
“It’s good to have visitors because she loves the attention and we love what you guys are doing with the fundraising. The generosity of people is amazing.
“We feel like PCH is world-leading with the level of doctors and care and equipment which is thanks to Telethon. It is pretty unique.”
Down the hall, 11-year-old Bodhi Ryan was recovering from emergency surgery for appendicitis — a scary ordeal made even tougher after having fractured his back three years in a row.
But as Home and Away actors Tristan Gorey and Rocco Forrester-Sach walked into his room, the pain seemingly vanished behind his beaming smile.
Bodhi’s mum, Kellie Ryan, admitted she was overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
“He’s been so tired and sad and sore and now he’s smiling, so it’s really nice,” she said through tears. “He’s going to be a big Home and Away fan now. I usually say he can’t watch, but now he can.
“He knows that Chris Hemsworth is Thor and he started on Home and Away. He has his first play coming up because he is quite into acting and now he’s meeting real actors and this is where they all start, so it’s very inspiring for him.”
The Home and Away heroes were not the only ones to make their mark on the Ryan family.
“We met Fat Cat before too and I got all teary,” Ms Ryan said. “It’s been really, really lovely, everyone has been amazing.
“It’s a good time — if any — to have surgery since it’s Telethon weekend so the hospital is very active.
“He’s been very brave since it’s his first surgery . . . he’s very lucky.”
The sheer heartbreak and resilience inside the hospital was almost too much to process for Home and Away actress Hailey Pinto, who broke down in tears while walking through the corridors.
Overcome with emotion and rendered nearly speechless all she could say was, “it’s just such a great weekend”.
In the delicate environment of the neonatal care unit, AFL icon Kane Cornes and presenter Mel McLaughlin visited the ‘Irish twins’ Michael and Thomas.
The fragile brothers arrived at just 25 weeks, weighing a tiny 800g and 543g each, with one requiring risky surgery at just five days old.
Their mum, Rachel McNelis, was filled with gratitude as the visitors laid eyes on her boys, who have now reached almost 40 weeks.
“They’re doing good now, we are very lucky where we are — they are very well looked after here,” she said.
Their dad, Jason Doherty, brought a brief moment of laughter to the touching scene, joking that celebrities should drop by every day because the tiny babies stayed remarkably “calm” during the special visit.
Former Hawthorn champion Shane Crawford, who walked the wards alongside Pinto handing out gifts, said coming face-to-face with the struggles of hospitalised infants puts everything into perspective.
“I met a couple of babies who had only been in this world for days,” Crawford said. “One had an operation two days ago and was really struggling.
“It’s a very stressful time, especially with such young children. It’s very delicate and very hard to work through.
“We just got in there and showed everyone that we cared, and we hope everyone’s going well.
“The visits really cement why we’re here. There’s a real purpose behind it, that’s why we’re here. We’re here to help these kids get better.”