Good Friday Appeal 2025: Meet the faces of courage, hope behind this year’s
Little Mimi’s hair started falling out, and her eyelashes and eyebrows disappeared, all before her first birthday when tests revealed she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – but even that won’t stop her from smiling.
Victoria
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Meet Mimi and Jack, two faces of bravery, hope and the 2025 Good Friday Appeal.
Their inspiring stories will take centre stage on Tuesday at the launch of the beloved appeal, supported by the Herald Sun, which raises funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Good Friday Appeal chairman Penny Fowler said: “We are incredibly proud to reveal Jack and Mimi as the 2025 faces of the Good Friday Appeal.
“Their strength and resilience are an inspiration and an example of why it is so important to rally behind the Royal Children’s Hospital.”
Mimi’s hair started falling out, and her eyelashes and eyebrows disappeared, before her first birthday.
Blood tests revealed she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which led to months of intense chemotherapy at the RCH.
“When I heard the word ‘leukaemia’, I screamed so loudly I think the whole world heard me,” Mimi’s mother Fatina said.
“It was devastating.”
Fatina added: “She had rough days where she couldn’t even lift her eyelids. She was at an age where she couldn’t describe what she was feeling; her eyes would say it.
“We would try as hard as we can to lift up her mood … to give us that sparkle smile. She was in pain, but she would … give us a smile, and that would bring us back to life.
“On the hardest days, (Mimi’s smile) would give energy back to me.”
Mimi’s father, Mohammad, said his daughter’s courage gave him strength.
“You can’t show the family you’re (broken),” he said.
“You (need to be) strong. I felt very weak, (but for the family) I had to show I was strong.”
Fatina said the clinicians and specialists at the RCH made Mimi’s battle easier.
“The first thing (clinicians) said to us was, ‘Don’t worry.’ That gave us hope,” Fatina said.
“They gave us, they gave her hope. She was in safe hands. They are angels.”
Fatina added: “They made her treatment so soft and comfortable. They keep the smile on the children’s faces. It’s the most amazing thing. Children going through this hardship, and being so sick … making them smile is beyond amazing.
“I felt reassured that my daughter was in a safe place receiving treatment and care.”
Mimi’s siblings – Jasmine, 16, Sana, 15, Kareem, 10, and Aya, 8 – were also inspired by their sister’s bravery.
“It was very hard, and a big change in our life,” Jasmine said. “It’s not normal for someone to go to hospital every day.
“We all felt very upset for her. We wanted to make her feel better.”
Jasmine added: “She’s been very brave. Chemotherapy affected her, but she’d still push through. She made me realise someone as young as her can be strong.”
Mimi, now 3, is in remission, but continuing treatment.
Fatina paid tribute to her family, who faced Mimi’s fight as a collective.
“They (were) all in this together. She has become so spoiled. She’s like the queen of the house.”
She added: “We’re so blessed to have the Royal Children’s Hospital. They didn’t just take care of my daughter … they took care of the whole family. As much as I say thank you, it’s never enough.”
Mimi’s teenage sister Jasmine agreed.
“I’m very excited for Mimi,” she said.
“She can now go out to see the world outside the hospital.”
Jack was 14 months old when his parents Rohan and Misty noticed something was not quite right.
He was diagnosed with epilepsy, and doctors soon discovered a brain tumour.
Surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital removed the tumour, but Jack had to relearn how to speak.
“From scratch,” Rohan said.
“It took a few months to get a few sounds out. He’d point, he’d grunt, to give you an indication (of things he needed or wanted).”
Rohan added: “His first word before surgery was ‘Dad’. His first word post surgery was ‘Mum’. We both had a bit of a win.”
But the victories have been long and hard fought.
Rohan and Misty says it was terrifying to see their son go through epileptic fits and seizures.
“You feel absolutely heartbroken and you don’t know how to deal with … the severity of each seizure,” Misty said.
“You want to celebrate all the milestones. you want them to be independent. But my fear was, if Jack walks out of my line of sight what happens if he has a seizure? Would I be there to catch him … or save him?”
Surgeons operated on Jack during the pandemic, which meant, due to restrictions, Misty had to drive her son to hospital alone.
Misty said wistfully: “Every time I looked in the rear vision mirror, I thought, ‘Is this the last time I’m going to see Jack? Is this the last time he’s going to be alive?’ Tears were streaming down my face trying to drive on the freeway. It’s that fear. It was so hard to not keep looking in that rear vision mirror thinking, ‘I need one more look’.”
Jack, now 6, is a year 1 pupil. He loves playing Nintendo Switch, monster trucks and the St Kilda Football Club. He joined his first sports team, to play soccer, last year.
Misty excitedly recalled the moment Jack got his chance to shine.
“The ball was in front of Jack – finally,” she said. “All his friends … stopped and let Jack kick the goal. Then they all ran up and celebrated. There was lots of tears on the sidelines, and it was great to finally see, ‘It’s gonna be OK’.”
Today, Jack is epilepsy and seizure free.
Misty and Rohan said the team at the Royal Children’s Hospital gave Jack the utmost care.
“It’s a debt we’ll never repay,” Misty said.
The Good Friday Appeal, also supported by Channel 7, has raised an extraordinary $468m. Last year’s appeal raised $23m.
Mrs Fowler said: “We know it’s been a challenging time for families with cost-of-living pressures, but your support is greatly appreciated.
Any fundraising effort or donation big or small makes a difference contributing to groundbreaking research, cutting edge medical technology and training for staff.”
Funds raised by the appeal will further transform care at the Royal Children’s Hospital by supporting vital programs, research and equipment.
To donate, visit goodfridayappeal.com.au
Originally published as Good Friday Appeal 2025: Meet the faces of courage, hope behind this year’s
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