ByBoet 2020

ByBoet 2020

Our goal with this fundraiser is to support research and contribute to medical equipment for the NICUs of Royal Women's and Royal Children's Hospitals. Also, based on our own experiences, we want to provide less medically-essential items for these NICUs, that are oh-so important to support the babies and their families.

We will be baking cookies and cakes, Caat has organised a super hero dress-up day at her school (gold coin donation!) and COVID-permitting, we will have again our Boet run in December.



A bit about us

We are a loving family of 5: Joris (dad), Marijn (mum) and three beautiful kids Caat (7), Eef (5) and Boet (forever 8.5 months). Boet is our inspiration for ByBoet.

Boet was born on December 21, 2018, at 27+3 weeks gestation, at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne. He was growth restricted. Due to his prematurity, Boet was admitted to the RWH NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Initially all seemed well although he needed a ventilator for his breathing but soon it was evident that his lungs struggled.

He was transferred to the NICU at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne for a special ventilator, the jet. He responded well and could come off in 12 days. From there on, he started to grow and feed and develop as a ‘normal’ baby, whilst still needing the medical care of the NICU.

Boet was transferred back to the hospital where he was born and was close to being discharged to come home, when he got sick again. He again needed ventilator support and an emergency transfer to the RCH NICU.

These weeks were scary with plenty of times we did not think he would make it. He pulled off a few miracles along the way as well. It was at the end of August when he started to deteriorate and in the early hours of September 1, 2019, he passed away in his dad’s arms.