Donate to help baby Raffa and his family

Life knows how to throw an A-grade curve ball.

On Wednesday, two weeks ago, my sister Ange took baby Raffa to have his tummy checked as it looked bloated and hard. The doctor sent him for tests to be done urgently. By the end of that same day, Andrea, Brad, baby Raffa, his older sister Amelia and brother Leo's lives were altered in a tremendous way. It was suspected that baby Raffa had tumors in his belly.

By that Saturday, Raffa had been put under anesthetic and had bone marrow extracted, a CAT scan and a central line put in. A day or so later, Andrea and Brad were told that their little man had stage 4 Neuroblastoma (a form of childhood cancer). A few days later, it was discovered that the cancer was classed as high-risk.

Brad has now had to stop working so that he can help mind Raffa and the other two children. The family lived in Toowoomba, but Ange and Brad have now had to split their lives between Toowoomba and Brisbane for Raffa to receive his treatment at the Royal Brisbane Children's Hospital. The children have been living in Toowoomba and have been staying with their Grandma, Nana and other family who have been a great support.

Andrea and Brad live week to week so this is a huge blow to them both emotionally and financially. Let's wrap our arms around this little family. We want to see Raffa, Ange, Brad, Amelia and Leo right. Your donations and sharing this post will be greatly appreciated as well as your thoughts during this challenging time.

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Andrea's dear friend Jenny Rollins has written a poem about her friendship with Andrea and Raffa's journey:

There once was a girl named Jenny,

who started a new job in a pie factory.

Little did she know she would meet a beautiful lifelong friend who eventually called her crabby.

A precious and true friendship developed so true and beautifully.

And by golly , wasn’t she amazing with the potato hose,

so Crabby named her Swirly.

She has always been my biggest supporter,

I want my courage to move forward, constant support, my bright, shining light.

And that absolutely never wavered, and only got stronger when I eventually lost my eyesight.

Our factory closed, but our friendship never did,

only got stronger with continuous love and support for each other over the years.

We have been through so much together,

an abundance of laughs, making amazing memories, and certainly some tears.

Now my beautiful Swirly is going through something,

a parent never ever should.

Her precious, six month old baby Rafa diagnosed with neuroblastoma,

with everything I have if I could take it away I would

This journey is going to be emotional.

A huge financial burden with her partner having to give up work,

and two other beautiful kids to care for.

And now I ask all the beautiful people in our lives to rally around with love, strength, support and prayers they will need and a great deal more.

This family means the absolute world to me,

and Swirly has the most beautiful true purist heart I have ever known.

I cannot express enough how she shows me this every day,

and through our friendship, she has always shown.

So please, with all of my heart if you can give to this amazing cause any amount, would be deeply and wholeheartedly appreciated.

Thank you so very much for listening,

God bless you all and baby Raffa a blessing God created.