Last week, our team had the privilege of attending the 2026 Luminesce Alliance Conference, Partnerships in Action. Over two days, researchers, clinicians, policymakers and families came together with the shared goal of better health outcomes for children with cancer, rare disease or a neurodevelopmental disorder.
The conference opened with a powerful reminder of why we were all there. Brett and Raelene Anslow joined Professor Wendy Gold to share their family’s journey since their daughter Holly was diagnosed with Rett syndrome ten years ago. They spoke about the daily realities of caring for Holly, who needs constant support, and about their hope that one day she can simply enjoy the childhood experiences so many of us take for granted.
Their story set the tone for everything that followed.
We heard success stories. Like how ZERO Childhood Cancer has made Australia the only country currently offering precision medicine to every child diagnosed with cancer.
We had honest conversations about how far there is still to go. Every child deserves to have hope and opportunities for better outcomes. Families deserve clear treatment pathways guided by science and ethics, not limited by the system or by their postcode. Speakers repeatedly described rare disease as the next frontier, where the gains made in childhood cancer have yet to be matched.
And we looked to the future, exploring the potential of the Single Digital Patient Record and how it could help connect fragmented services, facilitate clinical trials and support more equitable, culturally responsive care.
Perhaps the message that stayed with us most was that investing in children’s health is an investment in everyone’s future. Better prevention, earlier intervention and new treatments for children ease the enormous burden families carry, and the knowledge gained through paediatric research benefits the whole community for generations.
Thank you to Luminesce Alliance for bringing together such a remarkable group of people, and to every speaker, researcher, clinician and family who made the conference so meaningful.