Discover the positive impact of happiness on paediatric oncology care. You will be stirred by emotions as you see children enduring heartbreaking situations laughing and shouting with unencumbered joy. See proof of how happiness, creativity, and connections complement clinical care and support cancer treatment.
Just as importantly, you will see the benefits of fostering positivity and the emotional wellbeing of, not only children undergoing treatment, but also their siblings, parents, or carers as well as their healthcare teams. See why we do what we do, as parents talk about how Koala Kids programs impacted their whole family with wonderful connections and happy moments.
Katie Smith leads a specialised team that delivers complex paediatric oncology care in a high‑acuity ambulatory setting. As a statewide and national referral centre, the Day Cancer Centre provides treatments uniquely available at the Royal Children’s Hospital, drawing patients from metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria, and interstate. Katie brings over 25 years of paediatric nursing experience across Australia and the United Kingdom. In addition to her RCH role, Katie is the Statewide Project Lead for the Victorian Paediatric Clinical Network (VPCN) and Deputy Chair of the ANZCHOG Nursing Committee. With a background in paediatric oncology, emergency nursing, and service development, Katie is committed to building capability, modernising models of care, and championing initiatives that support safer, more coordinated, and more equitable healthcare for children and their families.
In 2005, Amanda founded Koala Kids with her son Nick Mandie, after he had his Bar Mitzvah and decided to start a benevolent program with moneys he had been gifted. Nick was hoping to provide holiday experiences for siblings of young children with cancer. His idea quickly grew into family-centred care and before too long, Koala Kids was providing basic art and craft items to the Children’s Cancer Centres at The Royal Children’s Hospital and Monash Children’s Hospital. Today, Koala Kids volunteers provide small things that make a difference to the lives of more than 2,000 children and young people during cancer treatment in Victoria each year, their families and their healthcare team.
