Dare to dream scholarship winner: Millie’s story

Aspiring business owner and inventor Millie, 16, has been named one of the winners of the 2025 Redkite and Coles Dare to Dream Scholarship.  

“My dream is to make sensory hoodies for kids with sensory needs, an idea I developed while trying to calm my nervous system while going through chemo,” Mille said. 

Millie, from Sydney, was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma in April 2024, after months of being fatigued, losing weight and developing chest pains. She stopped wanting to see her friends and doing her regular hobbies like hiking and camping.  

When a lump appeared on Millie’s collarbone, she thought it was the same as the lumps her grandmas would sometimes get on their hands.  

“But it grew and grew until I noticed it again, and it was over two centimetres in length on my collarbone, which made us go to the doctor,” Millie said. 

Doctors took a biopsy of the lump and ran tests, and within a week told the family the diagnosis. 

“The surgeon called and said, ‘I don’t usually do this, but it’s unfortunately cancerous…and we want to give you the weekend to process that because on Monday you’re booked in to see an oncologist’,” Millie’s mum, Sally, said. 

Millie’s went through six months of intense chemotherapy, sitting in a chair for six hours a day during treatment weeks. She rang the bell to finish treatment in September.  

Millie’s Inspiration

Millie lives with ADHD, severe dyslexia and anxiety, which significantly impacted her experience in the hospital, as well as a phobia of needles. She felt overwhelmed by the bright lights, constant noises, and isolation from friends, family, and other people her age.  

“I had really worked on myself to be able to tolerate the school environment, find friends and tolerate social outings with friends. Then suddenly…I was thrown into a noisy, brightly lit sensory nightmare of an oncology clinic.” 

It was hard to escape feeling overwhelmed, and wearing a hoodie helped Millie escape the noise and lights for a little while.  

“If you see teenage chemo patients, especially in winter, one essential item is the hoodie. It’s a great hiding tool to pull over your bald head and hide from the interactions of the world.”  

When she couldn’t get out for a walk or a break, she would focus on designing products and crocheting.  

“I always ended up chewing on hoodie strings, which let’s be honest, when you get to a certain age chewing on hoodie strings isn’t the best. Which is where I came up with putting silicone beads on the end.” 

Millie’s design ideas are also inspired by her mum, who works as an occupational therapist with children with significant needs. Through her mum’s work, Millie has learned which designs are helpful for children and young people with sensory needs. 

“Millie’s been my go-to with practical ideas to help my kids, which makes what she’s doing for the business just that much more exciting for her. This is another opportunity to show the strengths that make her shine,” Sally said.  

Mille’s Dream

Millie’s Dare to Dream Scholarship will help kick-start her business of making sensory-friendly hoodies, but she has plenty of ideas for other designs too. 

“I have many more ideas for the products around the hoodie, like zippers on each side of front pocket, thicker material in hood to dampen sound and many more. But I want to start with the chewable hoodie strings first.” 

With the help of her mum and a friend, Millie hopes to create beads and hoodies that are discreet, not childish, and practical. 

“These can be changed and replaced to fit your mood or outfit for the day. I have made a simple protype using food grade silicone beads.” 

Millie wants her story and her designs to help other neurodivergent young people.  

“I want another person like me to be like, ‘OK, it’s actually fine if I’m just myself. I don’t need to try and pretend’.”  

Her mum Sally agrees.   

“It’s okay not to be a stereotypical “normal” teenager. Millie hopes she can show other teenagers they can lower their masks and be themselves and they can create their own destiny.”   

Since 2013, Redkite and Coles have awarded 450 Dare to Dream Scholarships worth over $800,000 to support young Australians whose aspirations and goals have been impacted by their cancer diagnosis.