Emily's Story
Name: Emily
Age: 7 years old
Location: Junee – Wagga Region
Favourite Colour: Gold and Silver. Dad called out ’I feel sorry for her husband’ jokingly
Favourite thing to do: Jump on the trampoline and play with her L.O.L dolls
Grade: 2
Favourite thing to do at school: Play
Pets: 2 Chihuahua’s Charlie and Rosie. I would love a Turtle and a Dolphin. I would make a tank in the wall to keep my Dolphin and make sure it had two holes at the top to feed it.
Siblings: Big Brother, Caleb, 10years old. We love to play chases and hide & seek together. Caleb also helps me read. We are reading ‘The Big Big Big Book of Tashi’ (by Barbara Fienberg, Kim Gamble and Anna Fienberg) together.
What do you know about Country Hope?
‘Country Hope helps lots of kids with heart problems like me’. I also go to the Kids Camp, that’s where I met my buddy Emma. I really like Emma and can’t wait to see her again at camp. I also went to Temora Camp where Caleb and I got to fly in an aeroplane, and the pilot’s name was also Emily.
What kind of person do you want to be when you get older?
A nurse or a doctor. I want to help people
Name: Daniel and Amanda
Location: Junee – Wagga Region
How many children do you have: 2, Caleb – 10years old, Emily 7 years old.
Diagnosis of your child: Emily was diagnosed with a double right ventricle valve (heart disease) at birth.
How long have you been a Country Hope family?
Since Emily was 2 years old. My mum (paternal grandmother) saw an advertisement on the tv and she contacted Country Hope. Up until then my pop was helping out a lot with funds to and from Sydney every 3 months.
How has Country Hope helped your family?
Country Hope not only assisted us with accommodation and fuel cost, but their support was BIG. It took the big burden away from us. One of us needed to be in hospital with Emily and the other needed to be home looking after Caleb and working and that made things really hard, and expensive.
What is the most important thing to you regarding your journey and caring for your child?
It’s most important that Emily is fit and healthy and laughs a lot, even if we have to tickle her. We both wanted to give her the best start in life.
Do you have a message that you feel is important for people to know?
We want to thank Country Hope for everything they’ve done for us over the years. Also, to the people who donate what they are able to for Emily and other children. Being able to meet families who have gone through something similar was really helpful for us, and we love being reunited with them at various events like the annual Christmas Party.
Given your own journey, what advice/suggestions/words of comfort, would you tell a new family who has just received a diagnosis?
Make sure you find out who is in the medical team that is working with you. Sometimes medical staff can get so caught up going from patient to patient that they don’t tell you what you want to or need to know, so ask. You have a right to know who is working on your child.
Stay strong and remain together. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help if you need it. If you don’t ask you won’t know what’s available out there, and there is nothing weak or bothersome about finding out.