Max Howell from Griffith, a three-year-old with a cheeky smile, has had severe cerebral palsy since he was born 28 weeks premature and suffered a brain bleed when three days old.
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He has spastic quadriplegia and cannot sit up without assistance. He has to eat mashed food. His only words are ''no'' and ''go'' but he is believed to have suffered no intellectual impairment. His eyes shine with the spark of life. Max loves dinosaurs, The Gruffalo's Child, his big brother Oscar - and The Voice.
Mum Fiona Keary said it was a surprise to them all to realise he loved the singing show. ''He used to cry if a singer he didn't like came on. He was absolutely mesmerised by [runner-up] Luke [Kennedy],'' she said, with a laugh.
The little boy's fascination with the show has helped him take the first steps towards greater communication. His therapists at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance in Spence asked Max to use a device that required him to push certain buttons and choose certain symbols that would lead to him being able to watch a snippet of The Voice.
''Within 20 minutes, he had it,'' Ms Keary said.
It is the kind of breakthrough Ms Keary and her husband Geoff Howell celebrate.
The family had been due to return home to Canberra from England two days before Max was born prematurely. They had to stay in the country for another nine months due to Max's condition.
When they did return to Canberra in late 2010, they looked for local resources. They say they have been given plenty of practical and emotional support from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, a non-profit organisation.
Their first contact was being lent a special high chair for Max.
''He could sit in it, he was supported and he could eat. For many people, that doesn't seem like much, but for us it was huge,'' Ms Keary said.
The alliance is now working with Max and his family on his communication and mobility. It has also lent him a special powered wheelchair that he can move with his head via pads.
''It's actually been such a fantastic resource for us and a place where we feel it's about what Max can do and not about what he can't do,'' Ms Keary said of the alliance. ''Max is so laid-back but at the same time extremely determined. He will give anything a go.''
On Saturday, July 6, Westfield centres across Australia will celebrate Give Ability Day, its annual fund-raising and awareness event to assist children and families living with a disability in Australia.
This year, Belconnen and Woden Westfield centres are partnering with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance to help raise money for kids living with this disability. All money donated at the Canberra centres goes to the alliance. Max and his family will be at Westfield Woden on the day.
