Eighteen-year-old Broadbeach Waters local Robert Barber first sensed something was wrong when a simple lap around his school oval left him unusually breathless. 

Days later, standing in the surf with friends, he felt cold, dizzy and struggled to stay upright.

“I just thought I had low iron or something,” Robert said.

But a blood test showed his haemoglobin was 84, and within days it dropped to around 60 (haemoglobin of around 135 is considered normal).

“It all happened pretty quickly,” he said. 

Gold Coast Health Paediatric Ward and Child and Youth Mental Health Services consumers will have access to a series of mobile and drop in art workshops led by local emerging artist and advocate Hayley Stanich (pictured).

Hayley secured funding to deliver the workshops through the Queensland Youth Week Community Event Grants program, which invited young Queenslanders aged 12–25 to apply for funding to design and deliver impactful community events.

From Robina to rural Queensland, registered nurse Clare is making an impact where it matters most.

For Clinical Nurse (CN) Krissy, stepping into high pressure medical situations is all part of the job.

So, when a footballer collapsed during a senior match at the Helensvale Hornets Football Club recently, the Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) nurse instinctively moved into action.

Young performers and artists from across the Gold Coast are set to fill hospital spaces with music and creativity this April, as part of Queensland Youth Week (QTW). While QTW runs from 11 to 19 April 2026, Gold Coast Health’s Creative Health Hub will be celebrating all month long with an exciting creative program.

A newly formed board with experience in health, leadership and government relations has been appointed to help shape the future of healthcare on the Gold Coast.

The Gold Coast Hospital and Health Board is led by continuing Chair Professor Cindy Shannon AM, who has a wealth of experience in First Nations health, health systems research and tertiary education.

“It’s wonderful to see two new faces joining the board this year and equally, I also acknowledge outgoing members for their valuable contributions,” Professor Shannon said. 

At just 18 years old, Annalise Patti should have been focused on choosing a career path or saving for her first home. Instead, her life veered in an unimaginable direction when she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer.

For the third consecutive year, Maud, dietitian and Chair of Gold Coast Health’s Neurodiversity Employee Network, shares her artwork for Autism Acceptance Month.

After many experiences of being misunderstood as a multiply neurodivergent person, Maud found in drawing a way to communicate what words sometimes cannot. 

“For me, drawing is less about creating art and more about advocacy. Through my drawings, I aim to build shared understanding and challenge stereotypes about autistic and other neurodivergent experiences,” Maud said. 

Facing a cancer diagnosis is daunting at any age, but for young people just beginning to carve out their futures, it can feel especially cruel. Yet this is the reality for more than 8,000 adolescents and young adults (15–24) diagnosed with cancer in Australia each year. 

Gold Coast Public Health Unit (GCPHU) has issued an alert following two confirmed cases of measles who were unknowingly infectious while visiting locations on the Gold Coast.