3 year old Dustin has 3-6 months left.

Help us give him the gift of constant love and comfort.

When your 3 year old son is given a diagnosis that cuts their life down to only 3-6 more months, everything becomes about small moments.

You go through all of the stages of grief. You bargain, you fight, you collapse and then you get down to the business of trying to pack a lifetime of memories into those 3 tiny months. This is the reality of our beautiful nephew Dustin who was diagnosed with an incredibly rare brain tumour, called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, in July of this year.

As Dustins condition progresses, he loses his ability to walk as the tumour further presses on the Brain Stem and Spinal Column, his ability to reason is impaired meaning he can’t interact meaningfully at times - he is frustrated and little and just wants to play with his trucks and his parents. It is, without a doubt, hell on earth to watch and not be able to make him well again.

At the same time as Dustins condition worsens, so does the pressure on his parents David, Sarah, and Wes to be with him and try to make it less scary for him. They watch as their son disappears rapidly into his illness but they have to go to work and leave him with people who love him, but aren’t his parents.

We are hoping to raise enough to give them time to hug and love him and make his end of life journey as full of comfort and love as we possibly can. We hope that if enough people can gift them a little amount it might give them the biggest gift they will ever receive - time with Dustin.

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet us, and Dustin. Thank you in advance if you are able to help with a donation, and thank you also for taking a moment to share Dustin’s story in the hope that it will reach other people with capacity to give. We also are grateful for the prayers of hope and comfort that you offer.

More about Dustins story:

On the 19th July 2022 Dustin’s family received the worst possible news any parents could ever imagine. A very rare tumour, a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma had been found, David, Sarah and Wes had been informed that their son Dustin Vaughan had only given three to six months to live.

Dustin is an amazing, vibrant, and caring boy. He loves his trucks, diggers, bikes, and tools. Life as a three-year-old was wonderful and normal for Dustin and his family and then everything drastically changed. Dustin became fairly wobbly on his feet. David, Sarah and Wes were concerned as his unsteadiness was more evident and changes in character and demeanor began to appear.

Dustin was taken to the family Doctor with a few concerns, an alarm was then raised and Dustin was taken to the Gold Coast Hospital for further tests via ambulance. David and Sarah waited by their sons side for numerous scans to be conducted to find the reason for the changes in their little angel. An MRI was conducted and the tumour was located. David, Sarah and Wes were given the devastating news, that their son had an inoperable tumour, they were advised that Dustin would have three to six months to live with the help of steroids to reduce swelling and symptoms. Due to the location of the tumour on the Brain Stem and Spinal Column, surgery, or chemotherapy were sadly not options offered to the family.

The steroids commenced when Dustin was discharged from hospital, the dosage decreased over 2 months. Initially there were improvements in his mobility when the steroids first commenced, but this sadly didn’t last long. Dustin’s overall condition is deteriorating drastically, and he is needing further supervision and care. Dustin can no longer walk unaided and is losing further control as the Glioma further grows and pushes on his Brain Stem and Spinal Column. The areas it touches also affect things like his reasoning and his personality is constantly changing. We are praying and believing in a miracle but until this happens Dustin is requiring around the clock care. We are trying to raise funds in order to allow David, Sarah and Wes to stay by their son’s side as he goes through this horrendous journey.