Little Telethon Stars 2025: Inspiring West Australians Paige, Xavier, Jordan and Izzy to take centre stage

The easiest way to understand the true impact of Telethon is to look at the faces of the WA children chosen to inspire the State. It is there, rather than in the thousands of words written about Telethon every year, that the joy, hope and generosity embodied by the annual charitable fundraiser can be seen. Jordan Blair lights up every room he enters but it was the nine-year-old’s face illuminated with surprise and excitement when he learned he had been tapped to be one of 2025’s Little Telethon Stars. “That’s me!” he said, grinning broadly while the gathered crowd of family and friends did their best to hold back tears. Born with a rare genetic condition known as DDCH, which affects movement, development and hearing, Jordan and his family have faced and overcome challenges, from multiple surgeries, including one for a cochlear implant, and weekly physio. “It doesn’t put a dampener on his life as such, he celebrates his differences,” mother Taryn said. “He’s got lots of friends, he’s very social and he’s not shy to talk to anybody. Everybody is happy to have a chat with Jordan and sometimes we have to say ‘okay now, look, we’ve gotta get going’”. Standing beside Jordan, literally and figuratively, were Xavier Summers and Paige McIllree — both eight-year-olds living with cerebral palsy — and five-year-old Izzy Miller who, on the day of the announcement, was just two days out of the radiotherapy needed to treat her high-risk neuroblastoma. The foursome are the faces of this year’s Telethon, which will be held on October 18 and 19 at RAC Arena. The theme of the weekend is Incredible Together. Brought together from different walks of life, Paige, Xavier, Jordan and Izzy spent a morning in Kings Park getting to know each other and getting a glimpse of what the next 50 days until Telethon might look like. What unites all four children beyond the title of Little Telethon Stars is the determination they and their families have to find joy amid the tough times. For unicorn-loving Izzy that joy was found in being allowed to shave her mother Kim Miller’s head — months after a lump in the then-four-year-old’s neck led to a diagnosis of high-risk neuroblastoma. “We told her that she’s sick and we’re in hospital to get better and that’s where we left it for a while and she understood it,” Ms Miller said. “Then the chemo started and she started losing all her hair, so I let her shave my head and I shaved hers and she actually really enjoyed it, it gave her a moment of joy.” Paige’s joy can be found in her love for animals, which sees her regularly dog-sledding and horse-riding. Despite her cerebral palsy affecting her right-side motor control, Paige also likes to surf, play footy and do Nippers lifesaving. “It’s only been the last two years that she’s come to realise that she’s obviously not able to keep up with the other kids and not able to climb and to be involved in a lot of things that other kids can be,” mother Natalie McIllree said. “I think she’ll really love (being a Little Telethon Star). She has always said she wants to be famous.” Xavier was born premature and diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 18 months, a year after his family noticed he was not reaching some developmental milestones. “He was my fifth child so I kind of knew from the beginning… We knew something was up. We had no clue what it was at all,” mother Lesa Summers said. The real problem now is figuring out how to slow Xavier down. Whether he is walking, running or riding his custom bike, all he wants is to go fast. Even at the ceremony to announce 2025’s Little Telethon Stars, the Year 3 student could barely stay still, shouting “Fat Cat!” the moment the Channel 7 icon appeared. The moments of joy are there but so too are the challenges. Izzy’s family recently built their family home in Australind but are unable to live there while she receives treatment. Izzy has also been unable to attend what should have been her first year of pre-primary because she is immunocompromised and cannot risk getting sick. Just spending the morning with her fellow Telethon faces for the announcement was a welcome break from her routine that “I think is very good for her”, Ms Miller said. For Paige, fatigue and muscle pain take their toll on her active lifestyle and being the only child at her Busselton school with her condition presents difficulties. “She is lucky — the school has been very supportive,” Ms McIllree said. “It’s been great but, you know, it’s the first time that they’ve ever had to put handrails in the toilets. “They’re adjusting and they’re coping really well but she’s the only one that seems different in her classroom and she’s starting to notice that and feel that.” Telethon Weekend is October 18-19 at RAC Arena. Tickets to the opening and closing shows will be on sale September 9 via Ticketek. JORDAN BLAIR, 9 When Jordan was born with hearing loss his mother Taryn was not overly surprised, because it runs in their family. However, when he missed some key developmental milestones the family went hunting for answers. Jordan was ultimately diagnosed with DDCH syndrome (deafness, dystonia, cerebral hypomyelination), a rare genetic condition caused by a mutation in the BCAP31 gene. Despite his condition affecting Jordan’s muscle tone, movement, development and hearing, the “very bright” Year 4 student is now active, hitting his age-appropriate milestones at school and has discovered a love of music. “I think his passion for music has definitely helped his speech,” Taryn said. “He’s full of energy and he’s a very determined boy and I think the way he is has definitely helped him become stronger because he wants to do things.” XAVIER SUMMERS, 8 Born premature at 32 weeks and suffering bleeds on the brain, Xavier spent the first four weeks of his life in NICU. Early in Xavier’s life — he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 18 months — those around him were not sure if he would ever walk. It is thanks in part to Telethon-funded support from Perth Children’s Hospital and White Zebra Foundation, plus Xavier’s own determination, that he is now able to walk in his walking frame, ride a custom bike and run in his frame runner. PAIGE MCILLREE, 8 You would not know it to look at her now but Paige could not walk unassisted until the age of four. Depending on the day she still uses a walker or wheelchair sometimes to get around. In many respects, Paige is like any average girl: an animal lover who is keen to show off the new outfit her mother bought her for the Little Telethon Stars photoshoot. But her cerebral palsy means she has also faced — and overcome — challenges that the average eight-year-old knows nothing about. “She does seem to cope with most things in her stride,” mother Natalie said. “She’s most of the time happy.” IZZY MILLER, 5 The youngest of this year’s Little Telethon Stars had only finished radiotherapy days before learning she would be a face of the iconic WA charitable event. Exhausted and shy, Izzy still turned up to the announcement bedecked in sparkles and with a cheeky smile. Diagnosed with neuroblastoma at the age of four, Izzy and her family had to relocate from Australind to Perth for her treatment – a journey made possible thanks to Telethon beneficiary Sony Foundation. Despite the stress and frustration of living away from home, Izzy’s mother Kim said the unicorn, princess and Wednesday Addams-loving girl had “coped very well” with her gruelling treatments.

Little Telethon Stars 2025: Inspiring West Australians Paige, Xavier, Jordan and Izzy to take centre stage

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