Movement the best medicine for WA kids with long-term conditions.
- Perth Children's Hospital Foundation
Movement the best medicine for WA kids with long-term conditions.
- Perth Children's Hospital Foundation
The 2026 Mader Port to Pub with Hotel Rottnest again teamed up with Perth Children's Hospital Foundation (PCHF) – this year raising more than $56,000 to help WA kids with chronic conditions get back into physical activity.
Over the past four years, Perth’s iconic Port to Pub swim has raised more than $186,000 for PCHF in support of Move to Improve, a ground-breaking WA program helping children and teenagers with long-term health conditions reconnect with physical activity.
Archie, 17, recently took part in Move to Improve after a referral at Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH). A childhood cancer survivor, Archie has faced lasting side effects from his treatment ever since.
Diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 neuroblastoma at just three years old, Archie spent more than 18 months in hospital undergoing treatment so intense he nearly died twice.
The radiation that saved his life also damaged his spine, leaving him with kyphosis – a condition causing the spine to curve forward – as well as chronic pain that affects him every day. Even now, Archie has regular check-ups with lung and heart specialists as part of his ongoing care.
Now in Year 12, Archie’s height has been affected, and he lives with ongoing pain, even from something as simple as sitting in a school chair. Despite this, he’s funny, resilient and has a passion for cars, recently getting his manual driver’s licence, and is working towards his goal of becoming a mechanic.
Archie’s mum Claire said Move to Improve came along at just the right time. “It inspired him to look after his physical health again and reminded him that he can actually influence it.”
Over the course of the eight-week program, Archie worked with a physiotherapist both at his local gym and at PCH, focusing on strengthening his core and back muscles to better support his spine. He also met with a dietitian, who helped him revisit strategies to support healthy weight gain, something that had been a persistent challenge since his treatment. He was also able to access a psychologist through the program.
“He really enjoyed the sessions because they were such lovely people,” Claire said. “Move to Improve helps to educate kids with chronic conditions on what they can change. It might be certain exercises that strengthen different parts of their body or eating in a different way to help them achieve a healthy weight, the supports are there. Having that education gives them a bit more confidence.”
Move to Improve is an eight-week physical activity program supporting kids and teens with ongoing health conditions to move more, through a fun, family-centred approach, helping them identify and overcome physical activity barriers and work toward their own individual goals.
The program is at the heart of a five-year research project led by some of WA’s leading child and adolescent health researchers. With the pilot program having now reached its target of 100 participants, preliminary data analysis is underway.
Eligibility criteria for the pilot study included children and teens aged 5–17 in the Perth metro area with cancer, type 1 diabetes, burn injuries, cerebral palsy, or stable neurological conditions. Excitingly, later this year, Move to Improve is expanding across all medical departments at PCH, giving more kids the opportunity to reach their physical activity goals.
Move to Improve is funded by PCHF and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, thanks to the support of Principal Partner, Mineral Resources.
