Smiles don’t come much bigger than this!

Eight-year-old Kai Stewart had his ‘Make a Wish’ dream come true last week – he was part of the Carlton Football Club.

The massive Blues supporter has been following Carlton his whole life, so the Club wanted to give Kai an experience he’d never forget. 

His wish began on Friday morning, when unbeknown to Kai (until he opened the front door!), he was picked up and driven to the Club by dual Brownlow medallist Chris Judd.

He and his family (mum Rachelle, dad Leigh and brother Coby) had a complete tour of the facility with ‘Juddy’, before being greeted by the entire playing list and coaching panel. 

Kai and Coby were presented with their very own personalised training tops by Dennis Armfield – their initials KS and CS emblazoned on each t-shirt – while the whole team clapped and cheered. 

Once they were kitted up, it was time to hit the track. The boys spent much of the morning handballing and kicking to players during training, as well as stretching in the warm-up and running the players’ water.


Kai Stewart leans on Dennis Armfield for the warm-up. (Photo: Carlton Media)

Juddy, who watched on while the boys took part in the exercises, was proud to take part in Kai’s wish. 

“To make someone’s day better like Kai, whose had some challenges, is a really special thing the Club’s able to do,” Judd said. 

Kai’s wish continued on game day against the Lions, with the brothers running through their very own personalised banner alongside the players.


Kai Stewart has a chat with Jacob Weitering on the track. (Photo: Carlton Media)

Although the day before the game Kai said he was “nervous” about running through the banner, that nervous tension turned to excitement as he made his way up the race with the playing group.

Most importantly, when the final siren sounded the Blues walked away 38-point winners over Brisbane, so the two boys were fully entrenched in the circle and sung the song loud and proud.

Kai was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis; his mum Rachelle says footy is a good “outlet” to take his mind off things. 

“He loves Carlton and it’s a really good outlet for him, so if he’s down he can sit on the couch and watch the footy with dad and really follow that passion,” she said.

“We really look to hope and the future that there might be a cure.”

Make a Wish Australia relies on the kind generosity of donations to make wishes come true. If you’d like to donate, click here