Ben inspires WA to Give for Kids.
- Perth Children's Hospital Foundation
Ben inspires WA to Give for Kids.
- Perth Children's Hospital Foundation
West Aussies raised more than $370,000 during PCHF’s inaugural Give for Kids Day – and leading the charge was 14-year-old Ben.
Held on 19 September, Give for Kids Day united families, schools, workplaces, and communities to raise vital funds for Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH).
At just 14, Ben has already faced a battle most adults could never imagine. Earlier this year, Ben was still recovering from a rare brain tumour requiring high-risk surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and months of intensive rehabilitation.
It began with a routine eye test. At 12, Ben started experiencing pressure headaches. It was then an optometrist noticed something behind his eye – a discovery that ultimately saved his life.
Ben said: “They were a different kind of headache. Not like the ones I’d had before when I was dehydrated or stressed. I kept telling my mum and dad something felt wrong, and that’s what really prompted the eye test. I just knew it wasn’t normal.”
A stroke left him partially paralysed, and doctors feared he may never walk again. After spending almost a year in hospital, Ben is now walking, running, and giving back. His efforts for Give for Kids Day made him the event’s top individual fundraiser, raising more than $20,000 to help other kids like him.
Funds raised will help deliver cutting-edge equipment, world-leading research, expert care, and positive experiences for the more than 100,000 WA kids who visit PCH each year.
Ben’s mum, Kate said: “He never once complained, never said ‘why me’. Even during chemo, when he was vomiting, he had a smile on his face.”
Ben said: “I wanted to support because it’s really important that kids going through it have the best treatment, so they can come out the other end healthy. Raising money for kids going through tough times makes me feel really good, because I know what it feels like, and having that support is amazing.”
Donations to Give for Kids Day are still open until 3 October 2025.
Visit pchf.org.au/give-for-kids to show your support.
Also stepping up was Tania Graves, whose son Jack (19) lives with a complex arterial vascular malformation (AVM) – a life-threatening tangle of arteries and veins in his brain. Due to its size and location, the AVM can’t be removed or treated.
Jack’s condition has caused years of complications, fatigue and weakness. He suffered a brain bleed and aneurysm at just 2 ½ years old and spent countless hours under the care of PCH’s neurology, neurosurgery and allied health teams.
Through dollar-for-dollar matching by generous corporate partners including AngloGold Ashanti, Circuit Solutions, Lions Festival for Disadvantaged Children Inc., PLS Australia, and Technical Resources – Tania’s fundraising reached $9,000.
“People know how much time Jack has spent at PCH, so they were happy to support – donating from as far as Melbourne and Sydney, and even some of my generous corporate clients through my role at Business News,” Tania said.
PCHF CEO Carrick Robinson said the success of Give for Kids Day demonstrated WA’s generosity and community spirit.
“PCH is the only specialist children’s hospital in WA, and Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation is the only organisation solely dedicated to supporting it,” Mr Robinson said. “Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of fundraisers like Ben and Tania, alongside our generous matching partners, we can continue delivering world-class care, right here at home.
“Whether you donated, fundraised, or shared your story, our heartfelt thanks go out to those that supported Give for Kids Day and WA’s sickest kids.”
