Liam's resilience shines through for telethon

The annual Children’s Hospital Foundation Telethon is back again this month, with Moreton Bay locals urged to dig deep.

Funds raised from the telethon on April 23 can help children like Liam Boffey, a little boy from Bray Park whose life changed forever following a freak accident.

A few days before Liam was due to graduate from primary school, the unimaginable happened. Liam and his cousin had been playing with sticks, and sadly one of them punctured his eye.

Liam was immediately transferred to the Queensland’s Children Hospital where he went into emergency surgery.

It was only afterwards that doctors advised Liam’s parents they would need to remove his eye, as it was unlikely their son would have any useable sight.

Liam’s mum Claire says her son showed tremendous courage during the ordeal.

“It was an extremely stressful and traumatic time for Liam and our whole family, but Liam showed strength none of us could ever imagine, and we all drew on that strength from him,” Claire says.

Liam spent eight days in hospital following the injury, undergoing surgery to completely remove his left eye and insert an acrylic ball in its place.

Liam was recently approved to commence the process to create a prosthetic eye to sit over his implant, and at the end of February, this fitting was completed.

“Liam was involved in every part of the decision, from the decision to remove his left eye to getting the acrylic fitted – he has shown tremendous resilience and amazing attitude towards his situation every step of the way,” Claire says.

“Every time the doctors asked him how he was feeling, he would respond “pretty cruisy really, just taking it day by day, hour by hour”.

“There has been some really tough times – there is no denying that – but his attitude continues to shine through during this whole journey.”

Liam is adjusting to monocular vision and now wears glasses to prevent any possible injury to his right eye.

Following his passions

As a keen athlete, Liam is currently training with the AFL team until he gets the all clear from doctors to re-commence contact sport.

In the meantime, he’s armed himself with sports goggles and head gear, working with his teammates and coach towards the goal of playing a game with the team.

Show your support

Liam and his family are now sharing their story even wider to help other sick kids and encourage locals to donate to the 2022 Nine Telethon in support of the Children’s Hospital Foundation.

In the past year, more than 27,500 admissions to the Queensland Children’s Hospital were children from the Greater Brisbane Area.

Children’s Hospital Foundation Acting Chief Executive Officer, Olivia Jary, says money raised through Nine Telethon would fund vital medical research, life-saving medical equipment, and patient and family support services at the Queensland Children’s Hospital for sick kids and their families across Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

“Every single donation, no matter the size, helps us work wonders for sick kids just like Liam,” Olivia says.

“It’s never easy having a seriously ill or injured child, and that can sometimes be made harder for those living in regional areas, who have to travel long distances for treatment and medical appointments

“Telethon gives us the opportunity to help families get back on their feet through the funding of ground-breaking research, state-of-the-art equipment, and patient and family support at Queensland Children’s Hospital.”

How to donate

To donate to the Nine Telethon, visit 9telethon.com.au or call 1800 909 900.

Tune in to the Nine Telethon at 7pm on Saturday, April 23 for more inspiring stories like Liam’s.

Telethon will be broadcast live from the Queensland Children’s Hospital, and the Telethon Concert at Fortitude Valley Music Hall on Channel Nine and 9Now.