Source : Perth Now news
Meet Olivia Street — the peoples princess.
She’s a girly-girl at heart, a make-up enthusiast, a Taylor Swift mega-fan and, most recently, she became a star — a Little Telethon Star, that is.
While she may not be the loudest in the room she sure shines the brightest.
Olivia’s mum Janelle said it best; “It’s Olivia’s world, we’re all just living in it.”
But, like any princess, you don’t earn your tiara without first mastering the art of wearing a brave face.
Olivia has endured more hard days than most people could imagine — and she’s only seven — yet she continues to show up with a smile, a kind heart and unwavering grace.
“Olivia had been diagnosed with a range of things from when she was born,” Ms Street said.
“Firstly, hip dysplasia. Then scoliosis a few months later and then finally at six months old, we got the confirmation that she had a genetic condition called collagen six related myopathy.
“What that means is her connective tissue in her body that supports her muscles doesn’t work as well as everyone else’s. So things like walking and standing, but also coughing, breathing, chewing can all be harder for her.”
Doctors once believed she may never walk again, but after countless hours of physiotherapy and hard work, Olivia can now stand and walk short distances independently.
“Mobility-wise, she needs someone with her most of the time. Only recently, in the last two years, she’s been able to stand or even take a couple of steps independently,” Ms Street said.
“And she is primarily fed through a feeding tube and she needs a BiPAP to breathe for her when she’s asleep or unwell.”
For Olivia, though, life is not about what she cannot do, it is about squeezing every last drop of magic out of the days she has.
And, naturally, that means as many trips to Mecca with mum as possible.
“Olivia is a very bubbly and social little girl, she is one of those kids that people just can be attracted to and she’s a little bit magnetic,” Ms Street said.
“She’s always putting on a little show or doing a makeup session for anyone who wants to be in her little makeup studio.”
But Ms Street said behind the glitz and glam, it is perhaps Olivia’s kindness that is her most beautiful accessory.
“She’s a very kind and thoughtful person,” she said.
“She’s always making cards for her friends or teachers or if someone’s been unwell and I think that kindness will show as everyone gets to know her a little bit better.”
When Ms Street discovered her daughter had been chosen as a Little Telethon Star, keeping the secret under wraps proved rather difficult
“We’re very, very proud of her. I guess she had no idea, but we did so it was hard to contain the excitement for her, knowing that she would be very excited when she found out,” she said.
“It’s been really hard to keep it a secret and she’s been asking if we’ve heard and we’ve had to say no, we haven’t heard anything, maybe next year. So yeah, now I can finally tell her it’s a bit of a weight off our shoulders not having to keep the secret anymore.”
For years, Olivia has been a devoted Telethon supporter, proudly attending the weekend festivities at RAC Arena.
“Every year if we don’t go to the Telethon family festival we are in big trouble,” Ms Street said.
But this year Liv wont just be a guest in the audience, she will be the star of the show — inspiring the very magic she has spent years watching.
“I am looking forward to lots of things, I want to see Emma Memma because she is really happy all the time,” Liv said.
For a girl who loves the colour pink and all things sparkly, a big stage is perhaps the most fitting place to make her royal debut.
But Ms Street believes it will be the people — not the glittering lights — who capture her daughter’s heart.
“I think she will just love interacting with all of the people, she loves to make friends wherever she goes so I think she’ll just have a great time meeting everyone,” she said.
“She also loves to get involved and help others, she has a kind heart and she’s always thinking of other people when they’re sick or not feeling well so I think the whole generosity aspect of it is something that she’s very happy to be involved with.”
But, behind the brave smiles of the Street family lies a reality that makes Olivia’s story all the more poignant.
Her condition is degenerative, meaning that without a cure or effective treatment, the abilities she has worked so hard to achieve may become more difficult over time.
It is a reality no parent should have to contemplate for their child.
And it makes every milestone, every achievement and every step Liv takes all the more precious.
For Olivia, life is not about waiting for a fairy-tale ending, it is about finding the magic in the moment.
“Our wish for Olivia is that she can enjoy every single moment of the weekend but also of life,” Ms Street said.
“We don’t know what it’s going to look like, there’s no real cure and her condition is such a spectrum disorder it’s hard to know what the next five or ten years are going to look like, so its so important she takes it day by day and enjoys every moment.”
