Page 15 - Just Better Care Possible Magazine Issue 9

GIPPSLAND A HAVEN FOR MACKAY LOCAL
Not knowing how long Tyler had left to live, in June 2018, Abbey and her husband decided to move to Gippsland in rural south-eastern Victoria to be closer to family.
Abbey’s story begins in Mackay in November 2016, far away from Gippsland, Victoria.
She clearly remembers that Christmas with her infant
son, Tyler.
In December, Tropical North
Queensland is best with air conditioning.
At the top of her mind, though, wasn’t the Christmas gift list, sweaty Santa, or condensation on a glass of cold chardonnay.
She was thinking about Tyler.
At eight months, her baby boy had started refusing food and Abbey knew something wasn’t right.
Tyler was her dream; her firstborn and only child.
She could see he wasn’t growing normally. His progress was behind other children in the mothers’ group.
Abbey was increasingly frustrated with people brushing off her concerns as “first-time mum worry” and, when Tyler was 14 months old, she sought a referral from the local GP to a paediatrician.
A day later, she took her son to emergency. After a rapid diagnosis, the triage nurse informed Abbey that her son’s body was starting to shut down.
Abbey and Tyler were airlifted to Townsville, where a specialised paediatric team were waiting at the hospital. After a long drive, her husband arrived at midnight.
Tyler was admitted to paediatric ICU, where he lay in an induced coma for a few days.
The specialist explained the clinical diagnosis of mitochondrial disease. Tyler was facing a life-threatening disease.
For three weeks the hospital team monitored and treated their
little boy as the young parents looked on, filled with that desperate hope that any parent who has been in a similar situation knows.
Tyler’s condition stabilised and they were able to return home to Mackay, just in time for Christmas.
However, Tyler had acquired
a severe brain injury and as a
result, developed severe heart complications, became quadriplegic and had to be fed through a tube.
For Abbey and her husband, all that mattered was that he was alive and they were together.
When faced with a life-changing event, clarity often comes after the initial confusion.
In June 2018, with clarity, Abbey and her husband decided to move to Gippsland in rural south-eastern Victoria.
She had wanted to move there to be closer to family. With a temperate climate, it was a welcome change from the steamy heat of Mackay.
Not knowing how long Tyler had left, this was an idyllic place they could enjoy together.
Not long after settling, Abbey connected with Melissa, the owner of Just Better Care Gippsland.
Melissa put her in touch with all the health specialists she knew, as well as providing support services for Tyler.
“Melissa knew the woman who runs the paediatric rehabilitation unit at La Trobe Regional Hospital, and then the word spreads around and before I knew it, people knew me as Tyler’s mum,” Abbey says.
It wasn’t long before Abbey’s little family felt very welcome among the community and rolling hills of Gippsland.
Twelve days before Tyler reached three years old, he passed away. Nothing can prepare you for that heartbreak but having a caring community around helps.
Almost a year on, Abbey is a Support Coordinator with Just Better Care Gippsland.
“I had approached Melissa a
few months ago about any admin work they may have, and that’s when Melissa came to me with the Support Coordinator job at the Just Better Care Gippsland office,” Melissa says.
“I came with good admin experience, but it’s the journey I had with Tyler that has given me compassion and understanding.”
“I know what it’s like to struggle with disability and navigate the system, and I found if you keep asking for things, you get the help you need,” she says.
Only starting in May of this year, Abbey has already earned a reputation for being an outstanding Support Coordinator and advocate for enabling people to live their life to the fullest.
“My confidence is rebuilding because I understand, and I feel understood,” she says. “I can help people.”
Abbey had the opportunity to meet her first child customer in July and says it completely assured her of her path in life.
“It takes a supportive community, and people like Melissa, to understand how to connect with people,” Abbey says.
“Now I get to help people and that’s what I find enjoyable and satisfying in life.”
MELBOURNE GIPPSLAND
JUST BETTER CARE — 15