Hello, my name is Leanne and for those of you who know me, you know it is very, very hard for me to ask for help as I’m stubborn, independent and usually the one helping others. But I’m desperate for answers and for my daughter to get better, so here I am asking for help

To say the past 4 months has been a living hell for me and my daughter would be an understatement.

Sarah began having headaches intermittently around August but I didn’t really think too much if it as they weren’t severe and she was only having a couple a week at that point.

Fast forward to October and the optometrist confirmed that Sarah had intracranial hypertension (too much pressure in her brain) and her optic nerves were extremely swollen (you can go instantly blind with this condition)

3 attempts at her first lumbar and 5 at her second left her going from high pressure (above 32) to really low pressure (6) because of several leaks in her spine

RFDS to Brisbane and 3 weeks total in hospital that admission

Neurology thought it would take 3-6 months for her pressure to return from low to normal but within 9 days it was extremely high again and re-swelling her optic nerves.

medication restarted and she began to get low pressure symptoms once again. Another 3 weeks in hospital left her leaving worse than she was before her initial admission.

She still remains unable to function 3 weeks after discharge despite a heap of medications being thrown at her. She cannot stand or sit up for longer than half hour without her headache getting really bad, she has balance issues at times, blood noses, dizziness, pins and needles in her body, chest pain, blurred vision, stinging in her cochlears, photophobia, the pain wakes her up from sleep several times a night.

She has been to school 5 1/2 days in 4 months, she barely wears her cochlears because too much noise hurts her head and her mental health is now suffering

Flew to Brisbane yesterday and saw the neurologist. Sarah is being readmitted to the children’s hospital in Brisbane for her 3rd extended hospital stay. Neurology envisages that this one will be 4-6 weeks long but could be longer.

I have zero leave as I have used it all her previous admissions to hospital so the second I take her to Brisbane, I will be unable to pay my rent, food, car payments, phone, electricity etc.

I am extremely stressed about the whole situation but I have no other choice. QSuper won’t pay me income protection because I’m not the one who’s sick at the ato won’t release money on compassionate grounds.

Please if you can help in any way, big or small it would be very much appreciated I need my baby back and her sister misses the old Sarah very much too. Sarah longs to be able to come in the car again, to go back to school and to hang out with her friends like any normal teenager does