Telethon-Funded Palliative Care Program Supports WA Families Through Childhood Illness
In the heart of Boyup Brook, nine-year-old Peyton Flanner found her greatest joy in the simple pleasures of country life. She loved roaming her family's property, performing flips on the trampoline, playing with her two sisters, and cuddling her beloved pets. These moments became even more precious when Peyton faced an aggressive brain tumor, spending months at Perth Children's Hospital undergoing grueling treatment.
A Family's Decision to Return Home
In September, when Peyton's parents, Kym and Nathan, received the devastating news that their daughter's time was limited, they made a heartfelt decision. They chose to bring Peyton home to Boyup Brook, ensuring their family could face this impossible chapter together in familiar surroundings. This choice allowed them to create cherished memories in the three months before Peyton passed away on January 9, surrounded by love and her favorite people.
Peyton's final days were filled with unique comforts only home could provide. From her room, she gazed out at the bush she had explored throughout her childhood, with her Jack Russell, Roxy, curled up on her bed. Visitors included Blake, a kelpie from the Telethon-funded Kelpies for Kids program, and her pony, Mary, who nuzzled her hand in a tender moment captured on video. Kym reflects, "I feel that we were able to gift Peyton with calm, peace, and comforts of home surrounded by only her family who loved her."
The Role of WA Country Health Service's Palliative Care Program
This compassionate care was made possible by the WA Country Health Service's Paediatric Palliative Model of Care, a new Telethon beneficiary in 2026. This program supports regional and remote Western Australian families dealing with life-limiting illnesses, partnering with Perth Children's Hospital and local services to deliver skilled, coordinated, and culturally safe care at home.
Kym describes the support as invaluable, saying, "It is beyond confronting to hear the words 'end of life.' It was unfathomable to know how we would cope, but we wanted to continue to give Peyton the normality and comforts for as long as we could." The palliative care team, including Dr. Lisa, Dr. Rachel, and nurses Angela, Laura, Sharon, and Ashley, provided guidance through video calls, phone calls, and home visits, even training Peyton's parents to administer medicine to avoid frequent trips to Bunbury or Perth.
Peyton's Journey and Family Resilience
Peyton was diagnosed with a grade three ependymoma tumor just before her fifth birthday. After symptoms like loss of balance and severe pins and needles, she suddenly worsened in October 2021, losing consciousness and being flown to Perth Children's Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Surgeons discovered a lime-sized tumor in her brain, leading to emergency surgery and subsequent treatments including radiation and chemotherapy.
Despite going into remission in August, Peyton relapsed two months later, a reality her family had prepared for due to the cancer's recurring nature. Over three years, she underwent further treatments, including a seven-month medical trial, while her family remained honest with her and her sisters, referring to the cancer as a "bully" and doctors as allies fighting it off.
In September last year, after learning of rapid tumor growth, the Flanners had to tell their girls the bully would take Peyton to heaven. Kym says, "It is not the way life is meant to be; it is brutally unfair. It's such an impossible chapter to face, but it was so vital to keep Peyton home."
Final Weeks of Quality Time
The family left Perth Children's Hospital for the last time, taking a planned trip to Mt Buller to see snow before returning to Boyup Brook. In her final weeks, Peyton enjoyed quality time with loved ones, including family car trips to see Christmas lights and a surprise 40th birthday party for Kym, planned by Nathan with friends' help. Kym recalls, "Throughout the whole night, someone was always sitting with Peyton, holding her hand. If it wasn't for the palliative care team, we wouldn't have had any of those opportunities."
The Flanners express deep gratitude to the medical professionals who supported them, noting that these caregivers also learned from the family's grace, love, and honesty. Kym emphasizes, "It is devastating and heartbreaking that more families will continue to walk this same path of losing their child, but it is made more bearable having the utmost care and support of the palliative care team. It is invaluable that services like this exist and are available to families like ours."
