About
Welcome to Milkshakes for Marleigh Community
Where those who have needed blood thank their donors
and encourage new ones
Here you will find extraordinary stories of survival thanks to Australian blood donors. If you have ever been a donor you can wonder you saved, improved or longed the life of the people who feature in the stories we tell across the Milkshakes for Marleigh platforms
Kate Fisher is the Founder of Milkshakes for Marleigh and Australia’s primary blood donation advocate. She she is on a mission to end persistent critical blood shortages in Australia and around the world.
Lives saved in 2024
Whole Blood Donors
Plasma Donors
Platelets Donors
Stream the podcast from every major platform
Meet your host
Kate Fisher
Best selling author and award winning postcast host
Kate is the host and producer of The Milkshakes for Marleigh Podcast where she tells the survival stories of blood product recipients. This is her creative solution to the social problem that not enough people donate blood. Only 1 in 30 Australians donate blood and yet 1 in 3 will need it in their lifetime. Kate is on a mission to change that, while thanking as many blood donors as she can along the way. You can find the Milkshakes for Marleigh podcast on your favourite podcast platform.
Kate is a mother at the helm of a family with additional needs. Kate has four children, three of them are living and like her, they have various complex medical conditions, physical and neurodevelopmental disabilities. She is helplessly in love with her husband Geoff and adores navigating their crazy, challenging, joy filled life together.
Kate was initially inspired by her daughter Marleigh who became unwell at the age of three and was eventually diagnosed with Seronegative Paediatric Autoimmune Encephalitis. This is a life-threatening condition with no cure, however treatment is possible with Intravenous Immunoglobulin Infusions (IVIG) made from donated human plasma. For Marleigh this treatment is lifesaving during the acute phases of her illness and life preserving for every infusion in between. Marleigh will be dependent on blood donors for life. She is now eight-years-old and has blown out five bonus set of birthday candles thanks to Australian blood donors. Kate encourages people to donate blood for the Milkshakes for Marleigh Lifeblood team so she can track the number of donations made by people inspired by Marleigh’s incredible story of survival.
Please book your donation here today! Those outside Australia can share their stories and blood donations via the Milkshakes for Marleigh social media channels.
Available in bookstores June 2024
Extraordinary tales of survival
thanks to Australian blood donors
In 2024, Kate published her first book called Milkshakes for Marleigh which tells extraordinary tales of survival thanks to Australian blood donors. Like the podcast, the concept of the book is that if you have ever been a blood donor, you can read a story in the book and wonder if you were the blood donor who saved their life?
It is her most recent tool in her blood donation advocacy and will be available in all good bookstores in June 2024.
Donate Blood Today
Shakes for Jakes
Lifeblood subteam for Kate’s Brother
Since founding Milkshakes for Marleigh in 2021, Kate’s brother Jake has also become a regular whole blood, platelet and plasma recipient as he undergoes treatment for Lymphoma. This has included many rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. Jake is currently recovering on his farm near Coffs Harbour in New South Wales, spending days with his wife Suzanne and two beautiful little girls Evie and Abbigail spending days swimming in their pool, chasing chooks and riding their ponies all thanks to having his life saved and prolonged by Australian blood donors. His family now encourages people to donate blood for the Lifeblood Team: #ShakesforJake is a subteam of The Milkshakes for Marleigh Lifeblood Team.
What others say
Testimonials
milkshakes_for_marleigh
💗🦓Happy Father’s Day from @milkshakes_for_marleigh 🦓💗
All the people featured in this reel are only able to celebrated Father’s Day together today thanks to Australian blood donors.
Whether this be blood transfusion saving the life of the Dad or his child, lives that have been preserved or quality of lives improved, Australian blood donors have made today possible for thousands of Australians!
Biggest wishes for to @green_ant_rant for being the most wonderful Dad that our kids could ever wish for. Our parenting journey hasn’t been without it challenges but he somehow always finds the fun! We love him so much!
To hear more of these stories, please check out The @milkshakes_for_marleigh Book or listen to The @milkshakes_for_marleigh Podcast.
#milkshakesformarleigh #keepingupwithm4mmembers #thanksblooddonors #book #australianstories #podcast #fathersday #dads #dadsofinstagram #thankablooddonor #family @kmdbooks @chrisbondaus10 @bring.alba.home @jaketurner61 @green_ant_rant @michaelklim1 @worgstagram @lifebloodau
Australian Winter Olympian, Curler Dean Hewitt spoke to the Milkshakes for Marleigh Podcast in early 2022. Today’s ep is a throwback to this interview.
Dean thanks blood donors for ensuring that blood was available for this Grandfather in Canada when he needed it and for his team mate in Australia, Ian (IceNut) Palangio when he was battling blood cancer.
Dean volunteers for the Starlight Foundation and we encourage anyone who is looking for a cause to please donate to: https://www.starlight.org.au/support-us/donate-to-starlight/ (link in stories)
Please donate blood, plasma or platelets to the Milkshakes for Lifeblood Team!
@curlingaustralia @starlightau #winter #winterolympian @olympics @ausolympicteam #curling #ice #thankablooddonor #milkshakesformarleigh #podcast #sport #sportpodcast #australianstory
@milkshakes_for_marleigh is celebrating the way that the @wattlenest is changing the landscape of sport in Australia.
All of the Australian athletes featured on the current season of the Milkshakes for Marleigh Podcast are thanking Australian blood donors for the impact they’ve had on their lives and sporting careers, with most owing their lives to Australian blood donors. Many of them would not be alive without the blood transfusions they received. Many of them also have a relationship with WattleNest that has allowed them to chase their biggest sporting dreams!
WattleNest is a community that connects business and sport to build stronger, healthier and all inclusive communities.
#wattlenest #notsponsored #justanepicmovement #supportingathletes #athleteempowerment #femalefounders #qldwomen #boxingkangaroo #boxing #kangaroo #eiffeltower #parís #sunshinecoast
In this episode, @the_invincable_woman Natasha Price shares her story of chronic illness, pain and disability and how one crazy big dream (with the help of Australian blood donors) shifted her from years of being bed bound as a quadriplegic to pushing a wheelchair marathon in a year.
Tash is a track and marathon wheelchair racer, passionate disability advocate, entrepreneur, podcast host, speaker, multi-award winner, author and Gold Coast Women of the Year 2022 (Champion of Sport). She is also the Country Chair of Sports Empowerment in Australia for the G100 and founder of InvincAble, an organisation that gives visibility to disability and empowers all people to embrace challenges and chase dreams.
Please check out her podcast @2crips.1pairoflegs with @the_real_adamsheppard ; their Social Enterprise called @invincable_official and the incredible work of @wattlenest
Given the critical blood shortage in Australia right now, announced by @lifebloodau last week, I urge everyone to make an appt to donate blood today by calling 13 14 95 & please add you donation to the @milkshakes_for_marleigh Lifeblood Team 🦓💗🦓💗🦓💗
#theinvincablewoman #adaptive #adaptiveathlete #aussieathlete #wheelchair #wheelchairmarathon #t1d #t1dlookslikeme #mody2 #bedtomarathon #plasmapheresis #relapseremitting #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicoverachiever @condosrachel @chrisbondaus10 @mon.murphy @brendenhall93 @ausparalympics @paralympics @lisacox.co @ourmoonsmission @moyai_ai #socialenterprise #socialentrepreneurship #youcantbewhatyoucantsee #podcast #newpodcastepisode @ausmumpreneur #podcastoftheyear #podcastoftheyear2024 #milkshakesformarleigh #katefisher #blooddonationadvocacy #downloadtoday
The @milkshakes_for_marleigh Podcast is thrilled to hold the title of @ausmumpreneur Podcast of the Year, 2024.
This award recognises the global impact of this podcast and its message of blood donation advocacy. Through this pod, blood donors and their loved ones share their stories, to thank their donors and to encourage new ones.
These episodes are stand alone, documentary style so there is no need to listen from the start or to a whole season. Just have a scroll through the episode and have a listen to one this catches your eye!
I was thrilled to win this award as it was such a strong field of finalists and I will proudly hold this title for 2024!
@thewomenchangingtheworld @siriusxm @strozkiymedia #ausmumpreneur #ausmum2024 #ausmum24 #podcastoftheyear #podcastoftheyear2024 #gold #winner #podcast #pod #podcastersofinstagram #newpodcastepisode #trendingpodcast #australianpodcast #storyteller #podcasthost #oneofakind #havealisten #podcastsofinstagram #milkshakesformarleigh #milkshakesformarleighpodcast #blooddonor #blooddonation #blooddonationadvocate
