Dear Friends and Family,

Help us raise funds for Monash Children’s Hospital in heartfelt gratitude for saving our beloved daughter Chloe’s life.

Three weeks ago, after celebrating Chloe’s 11th birthday late October, she was admitted to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit for Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome (CAS) —linked to Lupus which was diagnosed this year. CAS is rare and causes rapid widespread blood clotting throughout the body, leading to multi-organ failure. Hearing this as parents was shattering.

As if that weren’t enough, Chloe suffered internal bleeding which led to major surgery to remove part of her bowel that was severely damaged (from the lack of blood flow) in order to save her. She received treatments to stop both the clotting and the bleeding while intubated and ventilated. Watching her endure so much was heartbreaking, yet through every moment, her body showed extraordinary courage, strength and resilience.

Throughout this terrifying journey, the medical teams at Monash Children’s Hospital worked with remarkable skill and unity. Their expertise, and the way they coordinated so seamlessly—making critical decisions at exactly the right moments as new information emerged—was nothing short of lifesaving. We will never forget the dedication, compassion and precision with which they cared for Chloe.

Chloe is now stable and slowly recovering, with a little way still to go. Christmas is Chloe’s favourite time of year. We are looking forward to putting up a new tree, shop for decorations, bake gingerbread men, and enjoy all of her favourite summer activities together. Her little sister and brother cannot wait!

We owe more than we can ever express to the extraordinary team at Monash Children’s Hospital. To honour them, we hope to raise funds to supplement our own donation so the hospital can continue helping other children in need.

If you would like to help support us, the most meaningful way is by contributing to this fundraiser on Chloe’s behalf—both as a thank-you to this remarkable hospital and to support other children on their journey to recovery.

A special acknowledgement to the incredible people who cared for Chloe:

* Georgina, Peter and Freya – Rheumatologists

* Peter, Ram – Surgeons

* Richard, Kent, Katie – Anaesthetists

* Sunit, Felix, Meredith, Caroline, Suzanne, Tim, Nat, Alfred and Cat – Paediatric ICU

* Ben and Chow – Haematologists

* Yen Yung, Collin - Interventional Radiologists

* Lilian - Nephrologist

* PICU, Ward and Stoma nurses

* Pain Management

* Speech, OT and Physio

These individuals and their teams provide life-saving care and emotional support to families every day—“incredible” is an understatement.

With heartfelt thanks, Lainah, Jamie and Chloe