12/08/2026
Every day, a little boy named Teddy video-calls his dad at our MLG Tanami site.
His dad Matthew has worked with MLG for over three years. After shift, he walks around holding his phone up so Teddy can see the trucks, the machines, the gear — even the emergency eyewash stations, which are a firm favourite. To someone passing by it might look unusual. To Teddy, it's the best part of his day.
Teddy is four. He lives with a rare and severe form of Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy (DEE). He has more than 70 seizures every single day. His epilepsy is drug-resistant, there is no cure, and over time he will lose skills he has already learned.
So when his mum, Sarah, asked whether Teddy might see the machinery his dad works on “while he still has the ability to remember these moments” — we knew we wanted to make it happen, and the team at CJD went all in to help us do it.
MLG and the incredible team at CJD Equipment hosted Teddy, his little sister Evelyn and their family for a VIP experience at their facility in Perth. Teddy toured the workshop and watched, wide-eyed, as Kenworth trucks are built from the ground up. He climbed into the cabs, pressed every button, sounded the horns (more than a few times), and sat in the race cars. In Sarah's words, the day gave Teddy something priceless — “a chance to forget about hospitals, tests and seizures and simply be a little boy.”
We're sharing Teddy's story with his family's blessing, because most people have never heard of DEE — yet it affects around 1 in every 600 people, with roughly 300 children newly diagnosed in Australia each year.
There is currently a Senate inquiry into epilepsy in Australia, recognising the urgent need for more research, better treatments and real support for the families living with it. For families facing DEE, that support barely exists today. Awareness has never mattered more.
In Sarah's words: “If sharing Teddy's story helps just one person better understand epilepsy and DEE, or gives another family hope that they're not alone, then it will be worth it.”
To the team at CJD Equipment— thank you. Your compassion and willingness to go above and beyond turned an idea into a day this family will treasure forever.
And to Matt, Sarah, Teddy and Evelyn — thank you for letting us be part of your world. You've given us far more than we gave you. 💜
Learn more: epilepsyfoundation.org.au
