Paper Cranes Children's Foundation

06/02/2026

Feeding Tube Awareness Week is almost over, and we’d love to take this opportunity to celebrate the amazing children we support and the life-saving devices that help them thrive. Every child we support relies on a feeding tube at times or for life.

To mark Tubie Week, we wanted to share one of our favou
rite feeding-tube accessories- feeding pump stands. We are passionate about innovation, inclusion, and fun, and we’re always looking for products that make daily care easier, lighter, and more joyful.
Last year, we discovered Tilly’s Tubes and their brilliant pump stands, which quickly became our best-loved feeding pump accessory. We were lucky enough to meet the Tilly Tubes team at an expo in the UK last year and came back to Brisbane with a suitcase full of their stands! They even created a special yellow stand for us with Paper Crane imprinted, in our favourite sunny yellow colour and a wonderful personal touch.

Happy 2-year anniversary, Tilly’s Tubes Tubes!
The heart behind this beautiful brand is Matilda- Tilly. Born at just 28 weeks, Tilly relied on continuous tube feeding. Her family wanted something lighter, more convenient, and truly portable to support her development, growth, and independence. When they couldn’t find what they needed, they created it themselves - and Tilly Tubes was born.

The Tilly Tubes team continues to give back to community by donating pump stands to hospitals across the UK, along with tape, pads, and port covers. Their stands come in a wide range of colours and are compatible with most feeding pumps, including FlowCare Infinity II, FlowCare Infinity III, and Abbott FreGo, with a Kangaroo Joey stand currently in development.

They now offer eight different stand designs in seven colours, and over the past 12 months we’ve helped more than 500 people carry their feeds in a lighter, more practical, and more stylish way.
Our personal favourite is the double pump stand, which securely holds two pumps and feeding systems in one compact unit , just perfect for more complex feeding needs. We also love the twist-and-release tool, which replaces pliers and can even be colour-matched to your stand.

With Tilly Tubes, you can:
• Ditch the IV pole
• Ditch bulky racks, hooks, and clamps
• Ditch pliers
• Add coloured velcro, stickers or ribbons for personalisation
• Use the built-in tray for medications or syringes

The small stand fits easily into a backpack, weighs only 150 g, even more it fits perfectly in Tubie Fun modified backpacks. The taller stands are ideal for larger feed volumes or hydration and fit neatly into tote bags or shoulder bags while remaining lightweight and discreet. They move seamlessly from the kitchen counter or bedside table straight into your bag or backpack , and you can even add an ice pack to keep feeds cool on the go in a hot Australian summer.
To learn more or to order, visit
www.tillystubes.co.uk
and support this wonderful family-run business and Tilly’s inspiring journey.






Tilly’s Tubes

04/02/2026

💛 Care That’s Skilled, Compassionate, and Deeply Human 💛

At Paper Cranes Children’s Foundation, we support children with high and complex medical needs, profound physical disabilities, and life-limiting conditions — and we care for them the way we would want our own loved ones cared for.

Our support is never rushed, impersonal, or “clinical for the sake of it.”
It is care with heart, delivered by people who truly understand what families live every day.

🌿 How we support families
• 24-hour one-to-one support at home, so parents can rest knowing their child is safe
• Short breaks and crisis respite, when families need breathing space
• Occasional visits, when a lighter level of support is right
• Palliative care at home, focused on comfort, dignity, and quality of life

Our support workers are highly trained, carefully guided by Health and Allied Health Professionals, but just as importantly, they are chosen for their kindness, patience, and ability to truly connect.

🩺 Specialised care, delivered gently and confidently
We support children with complex medical needs including:
• Personal care tailored to each child
• Safe moving, handling, and hoisting
• Mealtime and tube feeding support
• Stoma care
• Oxygen therapy
• Suctioning and respiratory support
• Tracheostomy care
• Long-term ventilation support
• Complex epilepsy and seizure management
• Monitoring and medication support

Families don’t need to explain everything, we already understand.

🤍 More Than Medical Care
While we manage complex medical needs, we never forget that these are children first.

Play, music, arts and crafts, messy fun, and community connection are part of everyday care. We create spaces where children feel accepted and families feel seen, not judged, rushed, or overwhelmed.

Because the best care is not just about what we do, it’s about how we make families feel.

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04/02/2026

💛 There Are Many Ways to Make a Difference 💛

Supporting our mission isn’t just about giving back, it’s about creating lasting impact in the lives of children and families who need it most.

For many of the families we support, that impact can mean comfort, dignity, connection, and precious moments together, especially when time may be limited.

Whether it’s through donating, partnering with us, volunteering, fundraising, or simply sharing our story, there are many ways to support Paper Cranes Children’s Foundation and be part of our journey.

Every act of support big or small helps us continue showing up for families with compassion, care, and whatever it takes.

Thank you for standing beside us and helping create moments that truly matter. 🤍

04/02/2026

♻️ Small Actions. Big Impact. 💛

A huge thank you to our amazing local business supporters and to Miss E and her family for donating an incredible 1,173 recyclable containers in January, what an effort!

By choosing to donate your eligible recyclables, you’re doing something wonderful for the environment and helping families at the same time. Every container adds up, and every 10-cent refund goes directly towards servicing donated equipment at Wattle Cottage.

If you’d like to support Paper Cranes Children’s Foundation, donating your recyclables is a simple way to make a meaningful difference.

📌 Use our container refund reference number when you donate:
👉 C11529189 or scan the barcode in the image above.

Thank you for helping us turn everyday actions into real support for children and families who need it most. 💛

01/02/2026

🕊️ The Paper Crane: A Universal Symbol of Hope and Resilience 🕊️

Paper cranes are more than folded paper. They are a symbol of hope, love, healing, and resilience, especially during times of grief, illness, and uncertainty.

The tradition of folding origami cranes originates in Japan, deeply rooted in history and folklore. The act itself requires patience, care, and intention. For generations, people have folded paper cranes during difficult moments, holding onto the belief that better days are still possible.

For many, the paper crane is inseparable from the story of Sadako Sasaki.

Sadako was just two years old when the atomic bombing of Hiroshima occurred during World War II. Years later, she developed leukaemia as a result of the bombing. Inspired by the legend of the Senbazuru, the folding of 1,000 paper cranes to grant a wish — Sadako began folding cranes with the hope of healing and peace. She folded 644 cranes before passing away at just 12 years old. Her classmates completed the 1,000 cranes in her honour, and she was laid to rest with them.

Sadako’s story touched the world. Her legacy continues to inspire acts of compassion, solidarity, and hope particularly for children facing serious illness.

Today, paper cranes are folded across the globe as a quiet yet powerful gesture of encouragement for children and families fighting big battles.

At Paper Cranes Children’s Foundation, while we continue developing our services, we have been folding paper cranes and gifting them to families whose children are living with complex medical conditions, profound physical disabilities, and life-limiting illness.

Each crane is a symbol of compassion, honour, and unwavering loyalty, a reminder that families are not alone, and that their journey is seen.

Sometimes, hope begins with something small.
Sometimes, it begins with a single paper crane. 💛

01/02/2026

It was a real pleasure to welcome Chris Boyle to Wattle Cottage recently.

Patrick and Chris have worked together across a number of projects over the years. When two social workers come together, sharing experience, reflecting on community needs, and reconnecting with their purpose, it creates space for thoughtful conversation and renewed focus.

This visit was a great opportunity to reconnect and to share the progress and development underway at Wattle Cottage.

Chris is the Founder of StandbyU Foundation, a not-for-profit social enterprise committed to helping people stay safe, connected, and supported.

StandbyU has developed The Shield, an innovative personal safety device that is lightweight, discreet, and designed to allow the wearer to activate an SOS alert without escalating a situation. They have also created Connect & Check, a simple yet highly effective service that provides peace of mind through regular “I’m OK” check-in calls, an essential support for staff in community-based roles and for lone workers operating in higher-risk environments.

StandByU is also the organisation behind Magnolia Place, located at Westfield Helensvale.
Magnolia Place, a free walk-in service offers a calm, safe, and judgement-free space for anyone experiencing challenges such as domestic violence, isolation, or homelessness. No appointments, forms, eligibility checks, or waiting lists are required.

Thank you, Chris, for taking the time to visit and for your continued dedication to supporting and empowering people and communities. We’re grateful for the shared values and the opportunity to learn from one another.

31/01/2026

Feeding Tube Awareness Week starts today 💜

Huge love to our friends at ausEE Inc. for sharing a list of landmarks lighting up to support and raise awareness for families and individuals living with feeding tubes.
There are a number of virtual events that will be happening over the week too, so jump over and show your support ✨

💙💙

ausEE Inc. is promoting Australia’s Feeding Tube Awareness Week. With your support we can raise awareness for those living with feeding tubes.

29/01/2026

Parent Advisory Group & Ongoing Involvement

🌿 We’re building Wattle Cottage for families with families.🌿
Following our first meeting on Saturday 21st February, we aim to form a Parents’ Voices Leadership Council to work alongside the PCCF Board.

This group will help ensure:
✔ Transparency and inclusion
✔ Families’ voices are heard and respected
✔ Innovation and co-design are at the heart of what we do
✔ Parents can advocate and lobby for much-needed change — together
The group will meet regularly, with a parent representative attending board meetings.
👉 Can’t attend the meeting but still want to be involved?
• Book a visit to Wattle Cottage
• Email us with questions
• Connect in a way that works for your family

📅 First meeting: Sat 21 Feb | 🕙 10am
📧 RSVP via email enquiries@pccf.org.au | 📞 Phone calls welcome
https://www.pccf.org.au/support

29/01/2026

The importance of supporting your child’s voice and independence as they grow.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GCJTLdZEx/

I’m non-speaking. But do you want to know what helped me understand that my voice matters?

It wasn’t one big moment.
And it didn’t start when everyone else thought I was “ready”.

For me, it began early, when my mother started involving me in decisions about my own life.

She asked what I wanted.
What I thought.

She gave me choices.
About simple everyday things.

Even when it was inconvenient.
Even when it took more time.

But often parents of children with disability are told, gently or firmly, that their child is “too young”, “too fragile”, or “not ready” to be involved in decisions about their life.

But readiness is not something children reach on their own.
It develops through experience.
And often, through allowing your child to make mistakes.

As a parent this can feel deeply uncomfortable.

Especially when you are already carrying the responsibility of protecting your child in a world that is not always kind or accessible.

Sometimes stepping in is necessary.
But when protection becomes automatic, over time it can quietly limit growth.

Because my mother trusted me early.
Because she involved me before the world thought I was “ready”, I grew into an adult who knows her voice matters.

This belief doesn’t suddenly appear in adolescence or adulthood.
It’s formed much earlier.

When adults choose to wait rather than assume.
When communication—even when slower or different—is recognised as valid.
When children are invited into decisions, even when it would be quicker for adults to decide alone.

This is where it begins, right now.

📖 Read Marlena’s full story ‘Handing Back the Steering Wheel’ on the Belongside Families website:
https://belongsidefamilies.org.au/story/handing-back-the-steering-wheel/

27/01/2026

Why This Matters

Families caring for children with high and complex medical needs and profound physical disabilities often navigate multiple systems, services, and responsibilities — and too often, they do so without enough opportunities to pause, be heard, or feel supported as a whole family.

At Paper Cranes, when we speak about complex needs, we are referring specifically to complex medical care, progressive and life-limiting conditions, and significant physical disabilities, children whose needs are medically intensive and often accompanied by a shorter or uncertain life expectancy.

Wattle Cottage has been thoughtfully designed as an independent, specialist respite and wellness space that considers not only children, but also parents, siblings, and caregivers. Its purpose is to complement existing supports by creating space for rest, connection, and wellbeing, shaped by the real, lived experiences of families.

Before opening our doors, we believe it’s essential to listen.

This meeting is a call to parents who are:
• Raising children with high and complex medical needs and complex physical disabilities
• Caring for children with a shorter life expectancy due to progressive or life-debilitating conditions
• Navigating challenging or uncertain medical diagnoses
• Bereaved parents who wish to be involved in shaping meaningful change

On Saturday 21 February, we’re inviting families to come together to:
✨ See how Wattle Cottage is taking shape
✨ Meet the founders, partners, and other families
✨ Share what has helped, what hasn’t, and what feels missing
✨ Contribute to the co-design of future respite and family support options

This session is about learning together, understanding lived experience, and ensuring Wattle Cottage reflects what families genuinely need, not assumptions.

📅 Saturday 21 February
🕙 10:00am

👉 RSVP or get in touch in the way that works best for you:

📧 Email: enquiries@pccf.org.au
📞 Phone: 07 3803 6972 | 0448 525 935
🌐 Website: https://www.pccf.org.au/support

If attending in person isn’t possible, there are other ways to be involved:
• Arrange a visit to Wattle Cottage
• Email us with questions or feedback
• Connect in a way that feels comfortable for your family

Your voice matters — and it helps shape support that is thoughtful, respectful, and grounded in real experience.

25/01/2026

🇦🇺 Australia Day at Paper Cranes Children’s Foundation 🇦🇺

Today, we reflect on what it truly means to be Australian, community, compassion, resilience, and looking out for one another.

At Paper Cranes, Australia Day is about standing alongside children and families facing extraordinary challenges, and recognising the strength, love, and courage they show every single day.

We acknowledge that this day holds different meanings for different people, and we honour the voices, histories, and lived experiences that shape our shared community.

As we look forward, we remain committed to creating spaces of care, inclusion, and belonging — where families are heard, supported, and never alone.

Today, and every day, we stand for kindness, understanding, and whatever it takes to support those who need us most.

💛

20/01/2026

The wedding of the year indeed. Beautiful celebration under challenging circumstances 💛
Amazing work and thank you Logan Hospital's paediatric palliative care team .
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Ep7DTHPuY/