About Niko

Earlier this year, our 8-year-old son Niko was diagnosed with a brain tumour and has been unable to play any contact sport since. His biggest wish lately was to join a footy club, and he was holding onto hope for good news at his MRI on October 7th.

Although there was some small progress, doctors told him he still can’t play contact sport and must continue being careful not to get hit in the head. Honestly, we were shattered that our son was still going through challenges.

But Niko surprised us all with his attitude. He said,

“As long as my motor skills are fine, I’ll keep moving. It’s all good.”

Then he came to me and said,

“Dad, I really want to make a horror movie.”

I told him we could film something cool on my phone, and he goes,

“No Dad… we can film my idea properly, then show it to your friends, and one day film it in the bush with a big crew.”

I thought, okay… that escalated quickly

Some of you might remember the video I posted of him talking about his script, that was literally one take. Meanwhile, Matteo joined a basketball team and Niko went to every single game and training to support his brother… but every night he would call me asking,

“Dad, what’s the status with my script that we filmed?”

So I reached out to a friend to see if we could find some time to help Niko shoot something, just to keep him positive and for me to keep my word to him , which means a lot more now.

But on the day… Niko had a totally different plan. He surprised us big time. He goes,

“Dad, this is what we’re doing, let’s make a trailer because we don’t have enough time. And even though we’re in Docklands (not a real bush), if I have a trailer with my idea and use the same title that everyone knows, people will watch it on YouTube, get a lot of views and maybe I can raise some money to make a short film in the bush with a big team.”

Mind you… he is 8 YEARS OLD!!

I thought… wow, I definitely created a mini-me

No matter what he was going through, he was still positive, thinking of the next step, keeping his mind active and giving himself something to look forward to.

So here we are, after a few hours of shooting, ShotPro put together a trailer for Niko… a trailer directed, acted and written by NIKO.

Then he said,

“Dad, even if everyone who likes my video on YouTube contributes $10 to my GoFundMe, I can make enough money to do Part 2 in the snow.”

I told him, “Slow down buddy, one step at a time. Let’s see how you pull off the first one, and maybe we can get it into a short film festival.”

I have to admit, I am so incredibly proud of my son.

As many of you know… I empower people for a living. And here I am, listening to my own son’s ideas and doing my best to facilitate them and support his journey, just like I encourage others to support their passion and purpose.

PS: This fundraiser is NOT to pay medical bills.

It’s purely for Niko to support his creative idea on his own and of course with a little help from Dad’s connections

Thank you to everyone for the messages, gifts and support you’ve shown Niko and our family this year.

It means the world ❤️