Fighting for Eva
Fighting for Eva.
Because all little girls deserve a future free of intimidation and violence.
We have a long and complicated story. One that we are in need of help with. So, regrettably and with much embarrassment , I will share a part of our very personal story in the hope that you might be inspired to assist us.
Eva, or E as she is affectionately known to family and friends, is the very best big sissy. The most loving daughter. She is the light of our lives. Unfortunately, our sweet sunshine girl has had a lifetime of trials, at only seven years old.
When Eva was an infant, I was forced to escape a violent marriage, in which both myself and Eva were subject to severe family violence. As a result, at the age of two, Eva was diagnosed with Early Childhood Trauma Syndrome, and I was subsequently diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Both conditions have affected us tremendously.
Although I was successful in securing a Domestic Violence Order in 2013, it was contravened many times during the lengthy custody and divorce proceedings, which cost tens of thousands of dollars and forced me into bankruptcy at 24 years old.
One such contravention lead to conviction for a ‘Threat to Kill’. That conviction was upheld on appeal. Shortly after this conviction, orders were made by consent providing that I would have Sole Parental Responsability and Sole Physical Custody of Eva, with no contact awarded and a restraining order preventing intimidation, contact or approach. Further to this, we were awarded a four year injunction, which prevented anticipated harassment via the court system for a period of four years.
In July 2018, despite this injunction, I began to receive harrassing letters demanding information that I was not required to provide via a legal representative. These letters were sent to my (private) home address and to date those legal representatives have refused to confirm how the address was obtained. This is the reality of family violence. It is often relentless, even in the presence of final court orders.
Despite claiming immediate concern for Eva’s health in July 2018, which I will talk more on later, an ‘urgent application’ was not filed with the court until mid November. Which conveniently, was within hours of our family having announced that I was in hospital having given birth to our fourth little girl. Some four+ months since the seemingly desperate concern for Eva’s well being was initially raised.
This means, that since November 2018 my energy and worry has been directed to fighting a vexatious and frivolous court application. Rather than enjoying our new addition and concentrating on my four little girls, three of which have high needs. An application that currently attempts to once again seek control over Eva and I by restricting the way in which we ‘live and travel’ on the premise of ‘concern’. Concern not displayed during the abuses Eva and I were subject to in her pregnancy and infancy.
Further exacerbating our family stress, in October 2018 Eva was admitted to the Sydney Childrens Hospital for the investigation of serious neurological concerns. It was there she was diagnosed with a number of health concerns, primarily suspected Focal Epilepsy which to date we are still working to manage. We have been having a truly hard time for the past few months.
Eva has been experiencing a significant decline in both her physical and perhaps mental health as a direct result of both her epilepsy and her childhood anxiety, which resulted from trauma in her infancy. Her neurologist has advised me today, that she may need to be readmitted to The Sydney Childrens Hospital for at least a week in the immediate future, following an overnight stay in Canberra Hospital in the coming week.
This means that my husband Casper will need to be away from our business to help me with the younger girls whilst in Sydney, this will be a huge loss to our household income. Just the trip alone is going to cost a fortune in travel, food and accommodation, even if we are lucky enough to grab a spot at Ronald McDonald House. We just don’t have a cent to spare thanks to our ongoing fight against Domestic Violence. One that Eva and I have been fighting for 7 years.
In January 2019, our 15 month old identical twins also began to experience serious neurological concerns, and are currently undergoing extensive genetic testing for their symptoms and sudden regression. They have lost almost all of their speech, ability to eat without choking and ability to walk or remain upright without falling or laying down regularly. One of the twins also began to have seizures. We have been advised that they are likely afflicted by a rare genetic disorder. That there are several possibilities for which they are being tested, some of which are devastating and life limiting.
As such, we now regularly attend the Sydney Childrens Hospital for all three girls, who require several daily medications between them that I must be vigilant about. This coupled with caring for our now 6 month old youngest daughter, has seen the closure of my business as I am now unable to work in order to care for our four daughters. Managing their high, often unpredictable needs. The stress of the diagnostic process, coupled with renewed legal proceedings has placed my husband and I under severe emotional and financial distress.
This fight is not my husbands fight. When Eva was in preschool, he took on the immense task of lovingly raising a little girl that was not his own. A little girl who had complex needs and emotions resulting from trauma. Sometimes it hurts to admit that my husband in many ways has been more instrumental than I have been, in ensuring that Eva is the happy, wonderfully natured little girl that she is today. He brought us both back to life. We were very much in survival mode when we met him. Only after which, we truly began to ‘live’.
I have have never received child support for Eva and until I remarried, I was the sole provider of her physical, emotional and financial needs. Now that I have four little girls to care for and am unable to work due to their circumstances, my husband financially supports all 6 of us. Last fortnight he worked 124 hours, only to see the money earned go out the door, just as fast as it came in. To fund a fight that he has taken off my shoulders and put on top of his own.
Our situation in fighting severe and long substantiated family violence is preventing us from funding additional therapies for Eva’s education with which she has struggled due to her trauma, and is making it near impossible to pay the fees for her school which she adores. We have also been unable to engage in her recommended fortnightly psychologist appointments due to our financial circumstances. These sessions are essential to preserving and improving her current and future mental health.
Worst of all, my family solicitor, who has generously allowed me to repay my astronomical legal debt without interest for the past 5 years. Has regrettably advised that since there is still almost $20k owing on the large account for the former family violence and child custody proceedings, and that now a further $17k has been accrued this year for the new account , if we are unable to discharge these amounts in full (approx $40,000 - without taking into account ongoing legal fees) in the immediate future, she may be unable to guarantee her continued representation.
This will leave Eva and I at immediate risk of the reintroduction of violence into what has been a very happy and prosperous life since our escape. If I cannot fight to prove the application for what it is, the court will have no choice but to consider it. This really is the fight of our lives, on top of what are serious medical complexities that my children are facing concurrent to this matter.
Essentially, we need real help. We have begun to fall into a financial hole from which we may soon find ourselves unable to recover from. It is directly impacting on our children and we just cannot let that continue to happen.
The bankruptcy caused by the initial court proceedings in 2014 is now over, however it still prevents my ability to secure finance. We also recently opened a new Business which supports all six of us, but unfortunately as the business is only four months old, we are unable to secure finance this way at this stage.
So, as humiliated as I am to be in this position, I am desperately hoping that someone might be inclined to assist us in preserving our little girls future, free from relentless exposure to intimidation, denigration, substance abuse and violence. Swallowing our pride and asking for help has become our only option. That or let everything fall apart, which just isn’t an option.
If a few hundred people donated just $10, it would make all the difference to our ability to care for and provide for our little girls complex needs by helping to discharge the astronomical legal fees that are currently threatening to bury us and everything we’ve worked so hard for. We are mindful that a diagnosis for our twins is imminent and we are incredibly frightened that this legal debt is going to restrict or prevent us from catering to their needs to the highest degree.
Apologies for the longest story, ever.
Please, if you don’t wish to assist, know that we don’t mind at all. Everyone has their own fight going on behind closed doors. But, if you have nothing nice to say or contribute. Please, just leave us alone.
Any help at all, or even just sharing this link would be incredibly appreciated.
Camille, Casper & Eva.
Xx
NOTE: Given the nature of our circumstances, ‘comments’ have been disabled on this page.
Because all little girls deserve a future free of intimidation and violence.
We have a long and complicated story. One that we are in need of help with. So, regrettably and with much embarrassment , I will share a part of our very personal story in the hope that you might be inspired to assist us.
Eva, or E as she is affectionately known to family and friends, is the very best big sissy. The most loving daughter. She is the light of our lives. Unfortunately, our sweet sunshine girl has had a lifetime of trials, at only seven years old.
When Eva was an infant, I was forced to escape a violent marriage, in which both myself and Eva were subject to severe family violence. As a result, at the age of two, Eva was diagnosed with Early Childhood Trauma Syndrome, and I was subsequently diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Both conditions have affected us tremendously.
Although I was successful in securing a Domestic Violence Order in 2013, it was contravened many times during the lengthy custody and divorce proceedings, which cost tens of thousands of dollars and forced me into bankruptcy at 24 years old.
One such contravention lead to conviction for a ‘Threat to Kill’. That conviction was upheld on appeal. Shortly after this conviction, orders were made by consent providing that I would have Sole Parental Responsability and Sole Physical Custody of Eva, with no contact awarded and a restraining order preventing intimidation, contact or approach. Further to this, we were awarded a four year injunction, which prevented anticipated harassment via the court system for a period of four years.
In July 2018, despite this injunction, I began to receive harrassing letters demanding information that I was not required to provide via a legal representative. These letters were sent to my (private) home address and to date those legal representatives have refused to confirm how the address was obtained. This is the reality of family violence. It is often relentless, even in the presence of final court orders.
Despite claiming immediate concern for Eva’s health in July 2018, which I will talk more on later, an ‘urgent application’ was not filed with the court until mid November. Which conveniently, was within hours of our family having announced that I was in hospital having given birth to our fourth little girl. Some four+ months since the seemingly desperate concern for Eva’s well being was initially raised.
This means, that since November 2018 my energy and worry has been directed to fighting a vexatious and frivolous court application. Rather than enjoying our new addition and concentrating on my four little girls, three of which have high needs. An application that currently attempts to once again seek control over Eva and I by restricting the way in which we ‘live and travel’ on the premise of ‘concern’. Concern not displayed during the abuses Eva and I were subject to in her pregnancy and infancy.
Further exacerbating our family stress, in October 2018 Eva was admitted to the Sydney Childrens Hospital for the investigation of serious neurological concerns. It was there she was diagnosed with a number of health concerns, primarily suspected Focal Epilepsy which to date we are still working to manage. We have been having a truly hard time for the past few months.
Eva has been experiencing a significant decline in both her physical and perhaps mental health as a direct result of both her epilepsy and her childhood anxiety, which resulted from trauma in her infancy. Her neurologist has advised me today, that she may need to be readmitted to The Sydney Childrens Hospital for at least a week in the immediate future, following an overnight stay in Canberra Hospital in the coming week.
This means that my husband Casper will need to be away from our business to help me with the younger girls whilst in Sydney, this will be a huge loss to our household income. Just the trip alone is going to cost a fortune in travel, food and accommodation, even if we are lucky enough to grab a spot at Ronald McDonald House. We just don’t have a cent to spare thanks to our ongoing fight against Domestic Violence. One that Eva and I have been fighting for 7 years.
In January 2019, our 15 month old identical twins also began to experience serious neurological concerns, and are currently undergoing extensive genetic testing for their symptoms and sudden regression. They have lost almost all of their speech, ability to eat without choking and ability to walk or remain upright without falling or laying down regularly. One of the twins also began to have seizures. We have been advised that they are likely afflicted by a rare genetic disorder. That there are several possibilities for which they are being tested, some of which are devastating and life limiting.
As such, we now regularly attend the Sydney Childrens Hospital for all three girls, who require several daily medications between them that I must be vigilant about. This coupled with caring for our now 6 month old youngest daughter, has seen the closure of my business as I am now unable to work in order to care for our four daughters. Managing their high, often unpredictable needs. The stress of the diagnostic process, coupled with renewed legal proceedings has placed my husband and I under severe emotional and financial distress.
This fight is not my husbands fight. When Eva was in preschool, he took on the immense task of lovingly raising a little girl that was not his own. A little girl who had complex needs and emotions resulting from trauma. Sometimes it hurts to admit that my husband in many ways has been more instrumental than I have been, in ensuring that Eva is the happy, wonderfully natured little girl that she is today. He brought us both back to life. We were very much in survival mode when we met him. Only after which, we truly began to ‘live’.
I have have never received child support for Eva and until I remarried, I was the sole provider of her physical, emotional and financial needs. Now that I have four little girls to care for and am unable to work due to their circumstances, my husband financially supports all 6 of us. Last fortnight he worked 124 hours, only to see the money earned go out the door, just as fast as it came in. To fund a fight that he has taken off my shoulders and put on top of his own.
Our situation in fighting severe and long substantiated family violence is preventing us from funding additional therapies for Eva’s education with which she has struggled due to her trauma, and is making it near impossible to pay the fees for her school which she adores. We have also been unable to engage in her recommended fortnightly psychologist appointments due to our financial circumstances. These sessions are essential to preserving and improving her current and future mental health.
Worst of all, my family solicitor, who has generously allowed me to repay my astronomical legal debt without interest for the past 5 years. Has regrettably advised that since there is still almost $20k owing on the large account for the former family violence and child custody proceedings, and that now a further $17k has been accrued this year for the new account , if we are unable to discharge these amounts in full (approx $40,000 - without taking into account ongoing legal fees) in the immediate future, she may be unable to guarantee her continued representation.
This will leave Eva and I at immediate risk of the reintroduction of violence into what has been a very happy and prosperous life since our escape. If I cannot fight to prove the application for what it is, the court will have no choice but to consider it. This really is the fight of our lives, on top of what are serious medical complexities that my children are facing concurrent to this matter.
Essentially, we need real help. We have begun to fall into a financial hole from which we may soon find ourselves unable to recover from. It is directly impacting on our children and we just cannot let that continue to happen.
The bankruptcy caused by the initial court proceedings in 2014 is now over, however it still prevents my ability to secure finance. We also recently opened a new Business which supports all six of us, but unfortunately as the business is only four months old, we are unable to secure finance this way at this stage.
So, as humiliated as I am to be in this position, I am desperately hoping that someone might be inclined to assist us in preserving our little girls future, free from relentless exposure to intimidation, denigration, substance abuse and violence. Swallowing our pride and asking for help has become our only option. That or let everything fall apart, which just isn’t an option.
If a few hundred people donated just $10, it would make all the difference to our ability to care for and provide for our little girls complex needs by helping to discharge the astronomical legal fees that are currently threatening to bury us and everything we’ve worked so hard for. We are mindful that a diagnosis for our twins is imminent and we are incredibly frightened that this legal debt is going to restrict or prevent us from catering to their needs to the highest degree.
Apologies for the longest story, ever.
Please, if you don’t wish to assist, know that we don’t mind at all. Everyone has their own fight going on behind closed doors. But, if you have nothing nice to say or contribute. Please, just leave us alone.
Any help at all, or even just sharing this link would be incredibly appreciated.
Camille, Casper & Eva.
Xx
NOTE: Given the nature of our circumstances, ‘comments’ have been disabled on this page.
Organizer and beneficiary
Camille Aniversario
Organizer
Wanniassa, ACT
Casper Aniversario
Beneficiary