Sunrise presenter Nat Barr broke down in tears during a live broadcast after seeing a powerful image of a boy battling cancer on the front page of The West Australian newspaper.
The boy, Noah Johnson, 12, appeared on the cover of Saturday’s issue.
The image was accompanied by a heartbreaking quote from Noah: “I don’t want you to be sad, Mom, but sometimes I think it would be easier if I died.”
Noah was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a type of bone cancer in which tumors form from a certain type of cells found in bones or soft tissues.
Over the past seven months, Noah has endured 14 rounds of chemotherapy and 31 rounds of radiation.
Barr, who was taking part in Channel Seven’s Telethon weekend, was moved to tears after seeing Noah’s photo and reading his words.
“We had a briefing (this morning), so they gathered all the people who came from the Eastern States and put us in this room just to remind us what the hell this thing is, this monolith that is Telethon,” Barr said.
‘I met this boy in a wheelchair and he said his name was Noah and we had a little chat and I spoke to his parents.
“And then I walked in and saw this,” Barr said, holding back tears while holding the newspaper.
Nat Barr broke down over Telethon 2024 weekend after seeing a photo of a 12-year-old boy diagnosed with cancer on the front page of The West Australian newspaper.
Twelve-year-old Noah Johnson (pictured) was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma seven months ago and has since received 14 rounds of chemotherapy and 31 rounds of radiation.
Barr began to cry as she described Noah’s life-changing diagnosis and urged viewers to read her story.
‘Eight months ago, he was a normal child, then he was diagnosed with cancer. Their family, their lives, were turned upside down,” said an emotional Barr.
“So, it’s about him and every child whose life can be changed.”
Barr added that the weekend was a “rollercoaster” of emotions and urged viewers to donate to the Telethon to help children and their families, like Noah, who were struggling.
The 57th Telethon Weekend, which had the theme ‘Juntos Increíbles’, focused on improving the health and wellbeing of Western Australian children.
The 26-hour broadcast raised a record $83,264,216 for the state’s sick and vulnerable children.
The community-led charity fundraising event has raised a whopping more than $688 million since its first Telethon weekend in 1968.
Telethon Chairman Richard Goyder AO said the success of the fundraising event was due to the generosity of the people of Western Australia.
“The magic of the Telethon is that everyone in our state does what they can during the weekend because they know it is for the greater good and that greater good is helping children, something that unites everyone,” said Mr. Goyder.
“Whether through generosity and donations, community performances, attending the family festival or simply tuning into the Channel 7 broadcast, each individual contributed to something bigger than themselves during this year’s Telethon weekend.”