Hello,
I would like to say thank you for coming this far.

My name is Jon, and I am a retired Australian serviceman looking for support to help a family in need.

 

Let's introduce you to Salem's family.
Ryan & Shelly are a young couple who have just had their first child Salem. Salem is a little boy who was born with a few severe medical conditions.
To better understand what this little fella has already gone through, I'll tell you of his birth.

Salem was born via an emergency C section in Canberra Hospital last October. Unfortunately, Salem was born with a complex heart condition known as Ebsteins Anomaly. In the first few hours of his life, he required oxygen support as his O2 levels dropped dangerously low. The decision was made to airlift him to Westmead Children’s Hospital over 287km away to receive a higher level of care. At only 10 hours old he flew out VIP style via helicopter leaving his mum and dad behind. The start of Salem’s 5 week stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit had begun.

 During this time Salem struggled with extremely low blood sugar levels, sepsis, and a blood clot from a botched line. And at 14 days old he underwent his first heart surgery in an attempt to get precious oxygenated blood flowing to his little body. This operation is just the first of 3 major surgeries needed to try and repair his tiny heart. The family travels regularly to Sydney for cardiac care.

Salem must also take many medications to keep his heart from going into SVT, a condition that causes uncontrollable erratic beating of the heart for long periods. Sometimes the only way to stop these attacks is to dunk the little guy in icy water. (Actual medical treatment) weekly trips to the emergency department are regular occurrence. Salem is already a well-known visitor to staff. 
 
However, it doesn't stop there for this little battler. Salem also has been diagnosed with Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS), which is a condition where the lower jaw forms incorrectly and is too small, a cleft palate and a tongue far too big for his mouth. This trio of issues leads him to regularly choke and struggle for breath. Salem is unable drink normally without becoming extremely fatigued. This means he must be fitted with a nasal gastric tube for feeds and oxygen support while he sleeps to combat his serve obstructive sleep apnea. Pierre Robin Sequence alone is difficult to treat and will also require medical intervention & an intensive therapy regime (speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy) plus regular appointments in Sydney with the craniofacial and ENT team. 

So now we have the parents, who are doing everything they can to keep their little boy alive, that will most likely never be able to have a "normal" life again. Shelly will have to give up her career caring for special needs children so she can care full time for Salem. Ryan is a contract worker whose contract is just about to finish. While Ryan’s work has been supportive during this time, there is no guarantee he will have work in a few months’ time. To make matters worse, Ryan’s father has terminal cancer and is not expected to recover.

I can only imagine how tough this period of their lives must be. Yet Ryan & Shelly are still smiling and being genuinely lovely people. Despite all this struggle, they have not asked for any help.
This is where we come in. Kind people like this family should be taken care of in their time of need. This truly is their time of need. I can't help but think, what if this was my little girl.

So I am asking you, please, give a little to help Salem and his family during these trying times.

Thank you for your time.

Jon.