The Monash Children’s Hospital Walk is almost here! We can’t wait to see you on Sunday 1 March at Jells Park to support the care of our young patients and their families.
The impact is very real. Funds raised at the 2026 Monash Children’s Hospital Walk will support our paediatric rheumatology team, which cares for children and adolescents who live with a wide variety of conditions affecting muscles, joints and conditions of inflammation, just like Bradach and Ellie.
Meet 10-year-old Bradach
Bradach was on a trip in New Zealand when his mum, Erina, realised something was not right.
‘He had been experiencing all sorts of unusual symptoms, but not all at once,’ said Erina.
A combination of headaches, sore joints, rashes and a lack of energy all came and went, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly what was going on.
‘While we were in New Zealand, Bradach was extremely tired, falling asleep out of the blue and by the time we returned to Melbourne, he began to be in serious pain.’
Tests with medical teams continued, and the family was told to present to the emergency department if the symptoms worsened.
‘Things escalated quickly – and within 12 hours of arriving in hospital, Bradach was unable to walk.’
‘The hardest thing was seeing him in the hospital and knowing he knew his life would never be the same.’
After a week of more tests to find answers, Bradach was diagnosed with Lupus.
‘His immune system is constantly attacking itself. He can have constant flare-ups with headaches, inflammation, joint pain and even his kidneys have been affected.’
Bradach now visits his care team at the Monash Children’s Hospital regularly to manage his condition, which affects his organs and joints, with treatments to help suppress his overactive immune system.
‘He has missed a lot of school due to his condition, but he is super resilient, and we have an amazing community around us.’
‘His care team in Rheumatology along with the Nephrology team regularly monitor his condition to ensure his medications are managing all the symptoms. They are amazing.’
When Bradach is feeling well, he loves to play basketball, draw fantasy worlds, play online games and spend time doing fun things with his friends. He has dreams of becoming an engineer when he grows up.
‘Bradach is our youngest child and the heart of our family – he completes us.’
Meet 7-year-old Ellie
This brave girl is back at school in Bendigo after the summer holidays spent with her family, friends and favourite animals.
Ellie and her parents travel to Monash Children’s Hospital for treatments to support her joints, which have been affected by juvenile arthritis.
‘We first noticed Ellie’s joints swelling when she was 4, after a kidney infection, but then the swelling never went away,’ said Ellie’s mum, Emma.
More investigations with her doctors started in the family’s hometown, before they were referred to the rheumatology care team at Monash Children’s Hospital.
‘It was heartbreaking to watch her being unable to physically keep up with her friends – it really affected her early on.’
Ellie requires treatment to prevent pain and swelling of multiple joints. A combination of medications and joint injections means she can continue to get back to doing the things she loves most.
‘I cannot praise her care team at Monash Children’s Hospital enough – they treat the kids so well and go out of their way to make them feel at ease.’
‘Ellie’s care team even decorated her bed and celebrated with us when she had to come in for treatments on her birthday.’
‘She’s been super brave, and at the moment the treatments are working really well – she is taking everything in her stride, she’s kind, playful and loves showing off her reptiles!’
The Impact of fundraising
With your support, we can purchase a dedicated musculoskeletal point-of-care ultrasound machine – an Australian-first initiative for paediatric rheumatology care.
This new equipment will be central to launching a comprehensive musculoskeletal assessment program to revolutionise how we diagnose and manage these complex conditions.
The program will allow the team to make real-time assessments of tendons, muscles and joints, enabling earlier diagnosis and more precise treatment of conditions. For families, this means faster, clearer answers, reduced uncertainty, less time spent at hospital appointments and a simpler path to treatment.
Your fundraising efforts will not only help us purchase this cutting-edge technology but also support specialised training for the paediatric rheumatology team – ensuring that we deliver the highest standard of care now and for years to come.
