URGENT UPDATE: Little Ava O’Kelly, a four-year-old fighting leukaemia, has received a specially designed ballerina-themed medical garment that allows her to feel like a ballerina during her hospital treatments. The innovative Supertee, created with funding from Telethon, is now providing 1,500 similar garments to children in Western Australian hospitals over the next year.
Ava, who had to pause her beloved dance classes due to her medical condition, is the first child in WA to wear the Supertee. The outfit, which looks like a costume, features convenient side and top openings to facilitate easy dressing and access to medical lines. Her mother, Lucy O’Kelly, shared the emotional impact of the garment during Ava’s first hospital visit in May 2024.
“When she’s going through lumbar punctures and bone marrow tests, you think a t-shirt is the least on your mind, but when you have it — it just completely changes everything,” O’Kelly explained. “For kids, they don’t realize it’s for the hard stuff; they just think it’s playing dress up. This new design is amazing. There’s nothing better than still feeling like a princess when you’re in hospital.”
Despite facing a challenging recovery process that includes daily oral chemotherapy and weekly intense treatments, Ava has recently returned to her ballet and tap classes. “She pirouettes around the room and you can see her energy is coming back, which is really nice to see,” Ms. O’Kelly said.
In a significant community effort, volunteers across Perth have been busy packing hundreds of Supertees for children at the Perth Children’s Hospital. Supertee founder, Jason Sotiris, emphasized the importance of support from organizations like Telethon in making these garments accessible. “There’s a lot of studies that indicate that there is power in having a costume,” Sotiris stated. “We want to bring some fun, some imagination, but also some comfort and joy to what kids are going through in hospital.”
The Supertee initiative not only provides a sense of normalcy but also empowers children like Ava to embrace their inner heroes during tough times. This unique approach to pediatric care is making waves in the community, offering hope and smiles to young patients enduring medical challenges.
As Ava continues her journey, her story shines a light on the vital role of creativity and compassion in healthcare. The Supertee project is poised to impact many more children in WA, ensuring that they, too, can feel like heroes in their own right.
