Your stories

Riley looks like a typical four-year-old. However, inside his body, it’s a different story. Riley has Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anaemia (CDA), a rare type of anaemia, which affects the production of his bone marrow and means there are not enough blood cells to carry oxygen throughout his body.

What started as a fun family outing for 17-month Eliana, of Bundaberg, ended in a painful admission to emergency because someone did not take the time to safely extinguish their camp fire. Eliana suffered second degree burns to her right hand and foot when she innocently walked over a hidden campfire that had been covered in sand.

Niall, of Carina, has not had the easiest start in life. He is one of only 11 people in the world living with Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency (CACT) - an extremely rare, life-threatening metabolic condition, which prevents the body from breaking down long chain fatty acids required to make energy.

Having been born with a hearing loss, three-year-old Alice from Wynnum just loves her bi-lateral cochlear implants, or ‘new ears’ as she calls them.

Twelve-year-old Kenmore Hills local, Isabel, was diagnosed with dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (EB) at the age of 10. EB is a genetic skin condition caused by a mutated gene, which makes skin very fragile and creates blistering, scarring, bleeding, bruises and scabs.

Like other teenage boys, 14-year-old Patrick loves sport, gaming and chatting with friends. However, his mum Karen noticed from an early age, that Patrick seemed unable to regulate his emotions, and regularly felt stressed and anxious.