Support Angel's Recovery

Over the past couple of weeks, Angel has been through an incredibly tough and unexpected health battle. What started as hip pain from a recent procedure quickly turned into something far more serious. She began feeling unwell and, thinking it was just gastro, rested. But by Wednesday, she was still unwell and went to the hospital in Hobart. Given her congenital heart condition, doctors acted fast and discovered she was in septic shock from an infected hip joint. She was rushed into emergency surgery to clean out the infection and then monitored closely in ICU.

Despite the surgery and strong IV antibiotics, the infection was still in her body, and our worst fears were realised - doctors found it had reached her pulmonary artery. After consulting with specialists in Melbourne, we were flown by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. By Monday morning, Angel was in open-heart surgery under the care of the incredible Mr. Ed Buratto and his surgical team.

Once they started the procedure, the surgeons realised things were a lot more complex than expected - her pulmonary artery and aorta were fused together, meaning both had to be replaced and the infection removed. What was meant to be a 7 - 8 hour surgery turned into 10+ hours, but thanks to the expertise and care of the RMH medical team, she pulled through.

In the days following surgery, Angel experienced some neurological setbacks, including seizures, which led to concerns about a possible stroke. Thankfully, an MRI ruled that out, and she has been slowly regaining strength. She’s now out of ICU, recovering at RMH, and we hope to bring her home to Perth in the next couple of weeks.

Once home, Angel’s rehabilitation will be a long and intensive journey - not just for her heart, but also for her hip, nervous system, mental health, and overall well-being. She will require ongoing physiotherapy, support to detox from heavy medications and radiation, and time to heal from both the physical and emotional toll this experience has taken.

So many have reached out, asking how they can help, and we are deeply grateful. If you feel called to support Angel’s recovery, any contribution - big or small - will go directly towards ensuring she receives the best possible care on her long road back to health and without financial strain. If you feel called to contribute, we would be forever grateful.

Every donation, share, and message of support means the world.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. ❤️