Bring Madeleine home to her family - tragedy again

On Friday 16 July 2021, while working as a nurse in Melbourne’s north, Maddie (26) received a call no family member should receive.

Her Dad (Walter snr, 60) and brother (Walter jnr, 19) were involved in a head on collision in her home state of Queensland. Walter snr had died at the scene and Walter jnr had been airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital to undergo emergency surgery due to severe injuries to his legs, abdomen and chest.

Maddie immediately scrambled to get back home to her sister, Alex (24) and Walter jnr’s side. At 1am on 17 July Queensland closed the boarder to Victoria. The flights leaving that night were completely full and Maddie had to wait to book a ticket for the following day and apply for an exemption.

After over 24 hours awaiting a reply to her application, she received the news that she has been approved to hotel quarantine in Queensland for 2 weeks at her own cost. Only after this can she be with her, now orphaned, younger sister and brother. (Their mother tragically died suddenly 10 years ago. At just 16, Maddie took on the role co-parenting her brother and sister with Walter snr.)

Maddie is currently in Hotel quarantine for 2 weeks in Brisbane, at her own cost. She is grieving, alone, mentally and physically suffering. Her worry for her extremely sick brother and her exhausted younger sister is real. 

I know we’re all struggling with Covid restrictions right now; all throughout Australia, but Maddie needs to be home. She is a fully vaccinated Nurse, who moved to Melbourne last year to work on the front line in the fight against Covid-19. Right now though, she deserves to be grieving with her family now.

Maddie is a wonderfully caring, joyful, fun loving, young lady, with a heart of gold and a smile that fills each room she enters. She gives all she has to the people she meets and she needs our help.

Since moving to Melbourne last year she has endured 5 lockdowns and 6 cancelled trips home to see her family (including her most recent trip that was booked for this Sunday). Her car’s transmission went recently and cost thousands to fix. She will need to move back to Townsville to assistant her brother in his recovery and will need to pay double rent while she decides where she’ll be living in future. She also has potential relocation costs and all 3 siblings have currently stood down from their employment while they try to make sense of this hideous trauma.  She has already had so many struggles in her short life and financial help would relieve some of her pressure during this difficult time.

Any money raised will go towards Maddie’s flights home, hotel quarantine, her relocation costs to move back to Townsville with her 18 week old miniature dachshund and best friend, Frankie, and costs associated with supporting Walter jnr’s long road to recovery including leave without pay from each of the sibling’s jobs.

Maddie, you aren’t alone. We love and care for you, Alex and Walter. We’ll find a way to get you home and your grieving family back together again xx