星空体育

Determined not to let his medical challenges hinder the pursuit of his dreams, 19-year-old Tom has soared to new heights, on his way to getting his pilot鈥檚 license. 

Growing up near Bankstown Airport, Tom鈥檚 fascination with planes and aviation developed early. 

At the age of eight, he took his first steps into the aviation world by joining a cadet program with the Australian Air League, absorbing himself in drills and basic education. 

What started as a hobby quickly became a passion and began to shape the trajectory of his future career. 

Yet, amidst big dreams, Tom faced significant health challenges that threatened his ability to fly.

At the age of six, Tom was diagnosed with Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), a rare childhood autoimmune condition that causes inflammation of the skin and muscle and can lead to possible tissue damage. 

Tom鈥檚 condition was relatively mild, however, it still caused significant fatigue and joint stiffness, as well as intermittent flare-ups, which were more severe and often required steroids to manage. 

Since being diagnosed, Tom has regularly visited Sydney Children鈥檚 Hospital, Randwick and worked with a multidisciplinary team on a plan to not only manage his condition, but also ensure he can still pursue his dreams.

鈥淢y experience with JDM is that you can look fine at one point and then go backwards quite a few steps. I had several flare ups during my childhood and early teenage years,鈥� Tom said. 

鈥淲hen this happened, having somewhere to go where I felt safe and informed helped put me at ease. I still remember how welcoming the whole team at SCH was, from receptionists through to medical specialists. It was always a positive environment to walk into.鈥� 

At the age of 14, Tom embarked on his first supervised light aircraft flight from Camden Airport and achieved the momentous milestone of his first solo flight at 16 years old. 

During this time, Tom鈥檚 condition continued to gradually stabilise and improve, reaching a turning point as he neared adulthood. 

鈥淭here is strenuous medical testing to be a pilot and given there was a lot of ambiguity around my disease at a young age, I grappled with uncertainty about what it meant for my future,鈥� Tom said.

鈥淚 got a little bit panicky towards the end of school about how my condition might affect my career, but I chose not to give up on my dreams, and I鈥檓 really grateful for that looking back now.鈥� 

Thankfully, Tom passed his medical tests, and after completing his HSC, enrolled in an aviation course. He is now halfway through his commercial pilot鈥檚 license qualification, with aspirations to become a flight instructor. 

鈥淎ll of us are different but the common advice I could give is you can鈥檛 let the present day define what you think can be your future life,鈥� Tom said.

鈥淜eep going until you get to the next point where you see things are changing and remind yourself that you can do this. You never know what might be in store next for you.鈥� 

The Paediatric Rheumatology 星空体育 (PRN), a collaboration between the Sydney Children鈥檚 Hospitals 星空体育, the Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) and Arthritis & Osteoporosis NSW, is dedicated to improving care for children and young people with rheumatologic disorders. 

To support SCHN's rheumatology services in helping more children with autoimmune conditions, like Tom, achieve their dreams, is currently seeking fundraising support.