Jasmine is a swimming champion although her story isn’t just about medals and podiums. Every time she dives into the Paralympic pool, she not only swims for her country but sick kids too. Jasmine discovered her extraordinary talent for swimming during her rehabilitation from a medical emergency. 

“It all started one day after school,” Jasmine remembers. “I was getting these sharp pains in my tummy and at first, we thought it was a bug. But when it wasn’t getting better, my parents called an ambulance.”    

When six-year-old Jasmine presented to her local hospital with a very swollen stomach, doctors quickly removed her ruptured appendix in theater and called the Newborn and paediatric Emergency Transport service (NETS) for an urgent transfer to Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick (SCH).   

NETS and SCH are both a part of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), which Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF) proudly supports as its exclusive charity partner. It’s thanks to the extraordinary support of our donors that SCHF can ensure sick kids like Jasmine have access to the best possible healthcare, whenever and wherever they need it.  

For sick kids, like Jasmine, who live in the inner cities of NSW to outer suburbs, regional, rural and beyond, this gold standard of care is crucial.  

Jasmine was treated for a life-threatening infection called sepsis in the Intensive Care Unit at SCH which was caused by her appendicitis. For three weeks her mum Chelsea never left her side. She says it was comforting to know her daughter was in the hands of the experts.   

Chelsea says, ''I felt confident and reassured that they were doing everything they possibly could for her.''

Jasmine soon returned home to Sussex Inlet on the South Coast but wasn’t recovering like she should.  

“Jasmine was sleeping all day, not walking properly and couldn’t feed herself. I just knew something else was really wrong.''

An MRI confirmed Chelsea’s worst fears. Jasmine had experienced two strokes caused by sepsis, damaging two separate parts of her brain.  

Jasmine was officially diagnosed with an acquired brain injury. So, to help her regain some movement on the left-hand side of her body, she was referred to SCH for Rehabilitation Doctor Adrienne Epps' specialist care. 

To help Jasmine regain her strength and movement, her family spent several months travelling back and forth from SCH. Swimming in a pool, known as hydrotherapy, was a part of her rehab program.  

“I did a lot of occupational therapy to learn the basics and build my fine motor skills again like tying my shoes and getting dressed.” 

“Before my stroke, I was really into athletics and dancing. I wasn’t always a fish in water. But during rehab, walking was painful and swimming was really relieving on my joints. Turns out I was pretty good at it too.”    

Swimming offered Jasmine a new light in the shadows and allowed her to lean into her competitive side, defying all expectations. 

At just nine-years-old, Jasmine earned her classification for para-swimming with the help of Dr Epps. And now, over ten years later, she is one of Australia’s most accomplished para-athletes, winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics and her first international gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. 

Jasmine and her family credit all her achievements to the extraordinary care of SCHN and Dr Epps.  

Chelsea says, “She wouldn’t be where she is today without them. They are an absolutely amazing group of people.”    

Now nineteen, anyone who crosses Jasmine’s path is impressed. She’s an incredibly resilient and smart university student who is determined to use her platform for good. It’s all these qualities that make her a perfect Patient Ambassador for SCHF. 

“I’ve always felt so grateful to be a part of this community of unstoppable changemakers who are having a transformative impact on the frontline of paediatric healthcare. Now, to step up as a Patient Ambassador for one of the largest and most trusted kids’ health charities in the country is a real honour,” says Jasmine.   

Funds raised by Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation are directed to the frontline of paediatric healthcare to help sick kids in the care of Sydney Children's Hospitals Network. Whether it’s used for new equipment, training and education, groundbreaking research or building state-of-the-art facilities, the money raised helps provide kids, like Jasmine, with the world-class healthcare they need and deserve.  

Donate today to join Jasmine in going all in for kids’ health.