Project Cross The World To See Dad

After about 3 years of the unknown, my father, Jamie, has recently been diagnosed with MSA-C at the young age of 61. This stands for Multiple Systems Atrophy - Cerebellar. He has lost fine motor skills, has much trouble walking, balancing, holding cups, has slurred and slowed speech, cannot write and is now on full disability. He cannot do his passion in life: play the piano. This neurodegenerative brain disorder is extremely rare, and without the knowledge of cause, there is nothing out there to help with symptoms nor slow it down. We don't know exactly what the future holds and how quickly it will progress, so now is the time to be with him as much as possible. Here's the clincher, my dad lives all the way in Sydney, Australia; the place where I was born. For obvious reasons - money, and being half way across the world - it has been a usual two year interval between visits. Sometimes even 5. Dad can no longer work and has very low funds due to his inability to work, I'm a struggling dancer myself who dances for joy and not the money, and my brother, Sam, is a student getting his PhD in engineering physics. My mother has been trying to help as much as possible, but as a self employed Licensed Massage Therapist, who works with many people with chronic pain who desperately need her treatment, she has not much to offer anymore. Everything went to my ballet training and Sam's college education. This two years between visits can't go on. Sam and I need your help to travel to Australia to see our father at least once a year. Or maybe somehow meet in the middle for a holiday on neutral grounds that is stress free on both sides - for my father to get away, and for us all to enjoy our time together. The latter idea is of course only if my father is able to travel. Dad may be in a wheelchair soon, but the timing of this degeneration is hard to say. Eventually he may lose all forms of communication and will be bedridden.  It will lead to something I'd really rather not put in to so many words.  I don't want to think about that yet. It's about here and now, and seeing Dad is most important. Anything you can do will help. Thanks for everyone's support.