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Help bring Jozua home for Christmas

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Meet Jozua my now 22 year old son who has the best outlook, regardless of what life throws at him.
This photo was taken some time ago and now he is permanently in a wheelchair and unable to live life without substantial help from myself and carers 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.
In a life that seems so long ago in a little town on the Calder known as Wedderburn,  he loved playing sports, especially  football, basketball and cricket, the outdoors and he loved working on a sheep farm roustabouting and helping his boss/ friend attend to the sheep.
His fondest memories are of those in the shearing shed and spending time with shearer mates, working hard and enjoying cakes and treats supplied by the farmer’s mum. Those days, seem so long ago.
No one could have predicted this once happy and cheerful kid would have a future, like it is today.  
Jozua has a condition known as Cerebral Atrophy(brain shrinkage) of unknown but degenerative in nature.
This once active young man now has mobility issues, swallowing, severe epilepsy, severe circulation issues including severe Raynaud’s.
The condition started in 2011 with chronic fatigue, Thypoid due to a weakened immune system(contracted when visiting  an Aboriginal Community, Lajamanu, in the Northern Territory with his Bendigo TAFE VCAL class.)
 It’s been a roller coaster ride with various symptoms developing over time.
The shrinking of his brain seems to be effecting most organs including heart, lungs, digestive, sight, balance, bladder and bowel.
It may have robbed in a physical sense but mentally he tries to be happy, strong and positive and says ‘his life isn’t so bad as some others with cancer’ He is suitably qualified to make that comment having lost his grandmother last year, to breast cancer. 
His grand father ‘Opa’ has done everything possible to renovate the house with the help of a very dear and beautiful kind hearted friend, over the past two years.
My father has his own health issues with the big C but he has done everything he can to get the house finished but consequently pushing things to hard, he too isn’t well enough to continue. 
The current situation is, after Jozua’s last fall on 18th April, 2018 he has been unable to return home.
Extensive renovations are required including ramps, bathroom revamp,  flooring and remodeling of kitchen to make our home wheelchair friendly. 
Up until recently, I was caring for Jozua in a disability friendly, Big 4 Traralgon Caravan Park  cabin. The caravan park was most accomodating allowing us to bring in a Hospital bed and other equipment to assist Jozua. We were able to bring in wonderful support staff to help Jozua with his personal care needs. 
Thd NDIS withdrew funding and so we were forced to look at other scenarios including Nursing Home care. 
We fortunately found a respite facility near by and although the staff are great, this isn’t home.
This GoFundme page is a last resort to have him home, so we can be together. 
I would never in the past have thought of doing this but I love my son and we want to be together living with Buster and Bonnie(pictured) .
We would love to have some normality back in our lives.
Thank you in advance for your help and even if you can not donate, sharing this and getting the message out would be great. 
We appreciate anything you can do at all. 
Kindest regards,
Christel

Donations 

  • Rory Fahey
    • $45 
    • 5 yrs

Organizer

Christel Albers
Organizer
Driffield VIC

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