Incredible Christmas light displays are a bit of an Illawarra tradition. Whole streets join in and it’s hard not to get swept up in the Christmas spirit as families wander past, carols playing, the faces of the kids reflecting back the chaotic glow.
This year there’s one particularly special display and it’s not just due to the strings of coloured lights zigzagging across the roof, the inflatable Santa, the glowing reindeers or the (multiple) Christmas trees made of lights. Lights for Louie has been created to raise much-needed funds for the Sydney Children’s Hospital by a family with a very special little boy who loves all things superhero and who just happens to be a bit of a super hero himself.
Three-year-old Louie loves the beach, his big cousins, his mum Tahnee, dad Dave, big sister Daisy and can name every single superhero. He’s a happy boy who runs rings, literally, around his family. And that’s a big deal as it was initially thought that he wouldn’t ever be able to walk.
Louie was diagnosed with VACTERL association at birth, a rare disorder that can affect many parts of the body and which saw him in a helicopter at only 36 hours old, being flown to Sydney Children’s Hospital for life-saving surgery.
Tahnee says, “Louie was simply born a fighter. We are so proud of him and his resilience.”
Having a disorder that only affects 1 in every 10,000 births means that Louie remains under the care of several specialist teams and has already had seven surgeries in his young life. Buying a house in a ‘Christmas light street’ had his family thinking of ways to to give back to those who had saved Louie’s life and helped them navigate the shock diagnosis.
“A thank you is simply not even going to be enough," Tahnee said. "They provided accomodation during those early days where it was very scary. The nurses and doctors were so supportive of our whole family.”
Lights for Kids is a fundraising initiative, a Christmas Appeal by the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation. Participants decorate their house with festive lights and encourage visitors to donate. Lights for Louie is one of 86 displays currently registered and aims to raise $1000.
“I’m the master behind the lights,” Tahnee said, “from spending hours on the roof, rearranging lights in the dark to get it how we like and sourcing new things each year. While Dave is on dad duty wrangling the kids and house.”
“Our one wish is to raise much-needed funds to support Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation and to light up some sick kids' faces over this magical time of year."
You can visit Louie's lights from 1 December, 7-10:30pm each night at 2 Ocean Street, Towradgi. You can donate while there using a handy QR code or via Lights for Louie.
