Canberra boy's cancer legacy gives 500 sick kids the gift of Lego
After their son Zac died of cancer at 11, Canberra parents founded Bricks and Smiles to gift 500+ Australian children $300 Lego kits.
Zac Minty loved building with Lego. When doctors found he had rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer, an occupational therapist prescribed Lego to help him regain finger function after nerve damage from chemotherapy.
Zac died in May 2022, just two months after turning 11. Rebecca and Jim, Zac's parents, turned their grief into action by starting Bricks and Smiles to give other kids undergoing cancer treatment the same joy Zac found in Lego.
Children across Australia can apply online for a $300 grant to choose their dream Lego kit, sent to them on the ward or at home. The charity also funds research into sarcomas.
Zac's grandmother Marylou, 80, has raised more than $45,000 by baking cakes and selling them outside a Woolworths every second Saturday.
- 11
- Zac's age at death
- rhabdomyosarcoma
- Diagnosis
- 500 plus
- Grants provided
- 300 dollars
- Grant amount per child
Why it mattersThe charity turns a family's loss into help for children facing cancer, and funds research that could save lives.
AustraliaAustralian children with cancer can now access free Lego kits during treatment, and research into rare childhood cancers gets direct funding from the Canberra community.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
