Nine-year-old Aiden Narsico has been named one of Telethon’s 2026 Little Telethon Stars after receiving the news in front of his school football teammates in Leda, near Perth.
The announcement at Leda Primary School prompted anything but a quiet celebration. Aiden ran, jumped and shouted as his friends cheered around him.
“I just got celebrated to be one of the superstars and it’s going to be a very exciting day in October, I feel very good right now,” he said.
“This is my favourite time of all time.”
Aiden has long told doctors and allied health workers at Perth Children’s Hospital that he wanted to appear on television. His mother, Miraluna Narsico, said he had spoken about the ambition during routine hospital appointments for years.
“And finally he is going to get the opportunity,” she said.
Aiden Narsico’s life with a rare breathing disorder
Behind Aiden’s confidence is a childhood shaped by complex medical needs. Born prematurely at 31 weeks, he spent the first 14 months of his life between Fiona Stanley Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital.
He lives with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, a rare condition which means he can stop breathing when he falls asleep, particularly when he is unwell.
Aiden has a lifelong tracheostomy and depends on a portable ventilator, which he takes with him wherever he goes. His care also involves round-the-clock nursing support, hospital admissions and input from respiratory, speech pathology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychology teams at Perth Children’s Hospital.
His mother said he almost died at home just a week after being discharged from hospital, when she had to resuscitate him after he stopped breathing.
It happened again before he was two, at about 2am, and once more in December last year.
“He looks very stable, very happy but then he could go really downhill very, very quickly,” Ms Narsico said.
Despite the risks, Aiden has steadily increased the amount of time he can manage without respiratory support. As a young child he could tolerate only about 15 minutes, but he can now go for between one and two hours — a major milestone for his family.
“Aiden is, he has a very positive outlook in life, which is amazing. He doesn’t really let his illness hinder what he wants to achieve,” his mother said.
That determination has also found an outlet in football. Aiden cannot play on the field because of his medical condition and cardiac pacemaker, but he has become manager of the school team.
He follows the sport closely and supports both the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles. His wish for Telethon weekend is to meet Fremantle forward Josh Treacy and Eagles star Harley Reid.
“Please come to Telethon so I can meet you. You are our best players from every WA team,” he said.
Ms Narsico said her son’s appointment as a Little Telethon Star was a chance for him to experience opportunities that his condition might otherwise make difficult.
“I’m really really happy for him that he gets to be a Telethon Star and this is just what I ask, for people and for the community to just keep giving him opportunities to explore life and to let him experience life because it’s too short for him,” she said.
Telethon’s 2026 weekend will take place at Perth’s RAC Arena on October 17 and 18. The charity says donations support sick, vulnerable and disadvantaged children across Western Australia. ([impactreport.telethon7.com](https://impactreport.telethon7.com/2026/community/?utm_source=openai))
For Aiden, the event will mark the fulfilment of a dream he has shared for years: stepping in front of the cameras and, at last, becoming the star.
