The end of the financial year is a crucial fundraising period for Western Australian charities, as businesses and individuals make their final tax-deductible donations before June ends.
Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation’s (PCHF) 2025 tax appeal is raising funds for the latest cutting-edge equipment and technology, including the next generation of rehab robotics, to help children thrive.
Alexey Ulupov is one of many children whose life has been transformed by Perth Children’s Hospital’s advanced technology, made possible through generous donations.
As a baby, Alexey fought hard to survive, but now he has his sights set on the Paralympics.
Alexey was just one month old when his parents received the frightening news that he had had a stroke, which caused bleeding in the brain, and a tumour was growing in his abdomen.
Despite two operations – including brain surgery – Alexey failed to develop like other babies. His mother, Anna Ulepova, said that by the time he was 17 months old, he was having hundreds of seizures every day.
“He was regressing with the seizures and by four years old, he was back to being like a newborn,” Ms Ulepova said.
Young Alexey with his mother Anna on one of their countless hospital visits.
The only cure was more surgery to remove half of his brain. Alexey became the second person in WA to undergo a complex hemispherectomy to remove the damaged right hemisphere of his brain.
The surgery went well, but it took three years of intensive rehab for Alexey to learn how to walk, talk and move his left arm.
Alexey was the first child in Australia to use a state-of-the-art robotic arm to strengthen his muscles and regain the use of his left arm, technology that was funded by PCHF.
The Australian-first technology helped turn Alexey’s life around and has produced stunning results for other children in WA undergoing rehabilitation.
Donor generosity helped fund the technology that has assisted a generation of children to gain movement in their upper limbs, ultimately changing their lives for the better.
For Alexey, the robotic technology set him on the path to sporting glory.
Regaining the use of his left arm meant he could take part in hydrotherapy and learn how to swim and after discovering his love for the sport, Alexey progressed from rehab to competitive swimming.
Alexey was the first child in Australia to use a state-of-the-art robotic arm.
He now competes nationally and has won multiple state para championships in recent years.
At 16 years old, Alexey holds five Australian swimming records for his age and his future has never looked brighter as he sets his sights on making the Australian Paralympics squad.
Although he lives with cerebral palsy, vision loss and his left arm will never function as well as his right arm, Alexey has embraced a life filled with happiness and success.
“People want to give for a cure but sometimes we can’t fix things and we need to learn to live with it,” Ms Ulepova said.
She also expressed the importance of donations from the community to fund technology and equipment that can improve lives.
“It’s very important to support children and families who have fought so hard to survive and give those children the best care and the best opportunities in life,” Ms Ulepova said.
To make a tax-deductible donation and give sick children a brighter future, donate to PCHF by June 30.
You can hear more about Alexey's story here.
