Telethon 2025: Hearts break as Chris Brown reads letter from mum whose teen daughter lost her brave battleAngela PownallThe West AustralianSat, 18 October 2025 9:00PMCommentsComments
Proud mum Jo Wagner has paid tribute to her courageous daughter Kate in a heartfelt letter to TV vet Chris Brown which he read out during Telethon.
Kate, 16, died from a stroke in July after spending 18 months in Perth Children’s Hospital where she endured some 30 surgeries and arounds 100 scans.
Mrs Wagner said a visit from Dr Chris and therapy dog Murphy a couple of weeks before she died brought “joy and light” into Kate’s life at a very difficult time.
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“Kate had just received a devastating medical update, was in severe pain and unable to sit up, yet when you walked in with Murphy, her face lit up with the biggest smile we had seen in weeks,” she wrote.
“You made her feel special, important, and seen — not just as a patient, but as a friend. That day was pure joy for Kate and for all of us to see that true smile and spark back in her eyes.”
Mrs Wagner said Kate’s illness was a heartbreaking journey but there were moments of hope and magic thanks to PCH staff and the support of Telethon.
“The medical teams including doctors, nurses, teachers and volunteers became our family,” she wrote. “They didn’t just provide medical care; they gave Kate fun, kindness, love and most importantly the strength to survive and thrive in incredibly tough times.
“From braiding her hair, Yochi, Uno and sneaking her out for walks, to making sure she could attend and look so beautiful for her Year 11 dinner dance, they made the impossible possible.”
PCH staff made Kate’s wish to go to her Year 11 dance come true a month before she died. They arranged her outfit, hair and make-up and made it possible for her to leave the hospital for a couple of hours.
“It was amazing that they could possibly have got her out. Not only that, she felt like a true princess, just like a normal 16-year-old should,” Mrs Wagner told The Sunday Times.
Kate had a Chiari malformation, a brain defect for which she had surgery, but sadly afterwards she suffered numerous complications and infections, including meningitis.
During her lengthy hospital stay, she won the hearts of hospital staff and other patients and their families with her caring and positive nature.
“She just seemed to have touched so many people and given strength to so many people,” Mrs Wagner said. “I just don’t get how she did that, because she was probably most often the sickest person around.”
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