PRESS RELEASE: The Life-Saving Act Nobody Sees: Australian TEDx Talk released as bestselling children’s book reaches International #1 Bestseller

FOR RELEASE at 4PM – WEDNESDAY 1 JULY 2026

The Life-Saving Act Nobody Sees
Australian TEDx Talk released as bestselling children’s book reaches International #1 Bestseller

WATCH THE TEDx TALK: https://youtu.be/_-XpM2qTGOM?si=–ZjRWnutpNbNZTw

Most life-saving acts happen in public. This one usually happens in silence.

What if one of the most important people in your life is someone you’ll never meet?

That’s the question at the heart of Australian author, founder and TEDx speaker Kate Fisher’s newly released TEDx Talk, The Life-Saving Act Nobody Sees.

Released globally today, the talk coincides with another milestone: Fisher’s newly launched children’s book, Milkshakes for Marleigh, has reached International #1 Bestseller status.
While the two releases appear very different, Fisher says they are exploring the same idea.

“We’re surrounded by extraordinary acts of generosity that have become almost invisible. My work is about making those stories visible again, because stories don’t just change minds—they change behaviour.”
Fisher first encountered the quiet power of anonymous generosity when her daughter, Marleigh, became critically ill. Today, Marleigh’s life depends on regular plasma infusions made possible by the generosity of blood and plasma donors—people her family may never meet, but whose kindness continues to keep her alive.

Australia still relies on imported plasma for around 60 per cent of the plasma-derived medicines used by patients. Fisher believes stories have a critical role to play in helping Australia become more self-sufficient by inspiring the next generation of blood and plasma donors.

Rather than asking people to act because of statistics, Fisher’s work explores something deeper: what anonymous generosity reveals about who we are as human beings.

“Every day, complete strangers quietly keep other families together. Most will never know whose life they changed. I think that’s one of the most extraordinary stories of our time.”

Her TEDx Talk challenges audiences to rethink one of society’s most remarkable yet least visible relationships—the connection between blood and plasma donors and the strangers whose lives they save.

That same idea inspired Milkshakes for Marleigh, a children’s book that introduces young readers to blood donation through kindness, community and hope. Featuring illustrations from world renowned Australian Artist, Joanne Colely.

“My hope is that blood donation becomes something every child simply assumes they’ll grow up and do. And while children are enjoying a bedtime story, perhaps the adult reading beside them will decide it’s time to roll up their sleeve.”

The book also features well-known Australian voices including award-winning journalist Hedley Thomas, author and media executive Holly Wainwright, and Olympic swimming champion Michael Klim, each appearing as part of a broader story about community, survival and the unexpected ways people help carry one another through crisis.

At a time when many countries are experiencing ongoing pressure on blood and plasma supplies, Fisher believes stories have an important role to play in strengthening public trust, inspiring action and creating a culture where blood and plasma donation is simply part of what it means to care for one another.

Following the global release of her TEDx Brisbane Talk and the international success of Milkshakes for Marleigh, Fisher will travel to New York in August for speaking engagements, including appearances at NASDAQ and The New York Times, as international interest in her work continues to grow.

Australians inspired by the TEDx Talk are invited to join the Milkshakes for Marleigh Lifeblood Team, turning one story into thousands of life-saving blood and plasma donations.

About Kate Fisher
Kate Fisher is an author, founder and TEDx speaker whose work reveals the overlooked stories that shape human behaviour, strengthen public trust and transform anonymous generosity into a visible force for social change.

Watch the TEDx Talk – The Life-Saving Act Nobody Sees

Media Enquiries
Kate Fisher 0447600625
[email protected]
www.milkshakesformarleigh.org

The Milkshakes for Marleigh Children’s Book is available to purchase now on Amazon and can be ordered at all major bookstores. Because sometimes the person who changes your life is someone you’ll never meet.