Let’s Change the World says Josh Patrick
"I have always admired Rotary International. This morning, I had the invaluable opportunity to witness first-hand the individual members that make this incredible collective 'movement' so impactful!”, wrote Josh Patrick on his LinkedIn post after his recent presentation.
Actually there is a lot to admire about Josh, and it was great to see a full house at our breakfast meeting, with members and guests wanting to hear from this remarkable year 12 Northam Senior High School student.
Josh’s mother Laura, who was also at the meeting, is a primary school teacher and when Josh was growing up she was Principal at a remote school in the Kimberley. Most of the time Josh and his little sister were the only non-Aboriginal kids in the community, who learned the local culture and shared swimming spots with the other kids and the crocodiles!
Their lives were upended when his second sister Charlotte was born. Prenatal assessments had shown she would be born with a diaphragmatic hernia so the family moved to Perth for her birth and she underwent two surgeries in the first three weeks of her life. Soon after discharge, at 6 weeks of age, Charlotte began having seizures, and the paediatric specialists could not find a cause. Officially, Charlotte had a SWAN - a syndrome without a name. She endured 65 more operations and spent a total of three more years in hospital.
It was not until 2023 that scientists at the Telethon Kids Institute, funded by the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, discovered the faulty gene, one out of 22,000, that was the basic cause for her continuing health difficulties. It was a one-off rogue gene, and is not present in her siblings.
While Charlotte was affected by a SWAN and needing 24/7 home care, Josh and his two other sisters became Invisible “glass” children. Josh set about to change this by campaigning for the recognition of young carers, and in the process became an excellent and persuasive public speaker.
He set up SWAN Siblings, an organisation that helps young carers who are:
- Feeling left out, isolated, or resentful
- Feeling embarrassed or guilty about their sibling's condition
- Feeling fearful about their sibling's future
- Feeling burdened with extra responsibilities
Josh is also a Carers Australia Ambassador, a member of the Ministerial Carers Advisory Council, of Young Carers South Australia, and the Carers WA Youth Advisory Group. Believe me, the list goes on and on.
He is no longer invisible!
Josh and his teachers at Northam SHS are confident that he should get an ATAR that will qualify him to enrol in Biomedical Science or Engineering next year, as a prelude to completing a medical degree. However young carers at more remote regional locations may need further support to post a high ATAR.
Josh is also very aware that Poverty is either present or ‘just around the corner’ in families which have kids needing 24/7 care, so not only is he getting to meet with politicians who can help change this, he also sees himself becoming more closely involved with the political process, one day.
Watch This Space!