Hi, my name is Melissa, and I am fundraising for my dear friends, the Bryant family. I have had the absolute pleasure and privilege of knowing this family since 1997 when Kym taught me at school. Since then, Kym and Scott have married and had two beautiful children, Brock and Jaymee. Life hasn't always been easy for this hard-working, salt-of-the-earth family, with Jaymee's health being of significant concern from in-utero. Sadly, at around 20 weeks gestation Kym and Scott were told to prepare for the event that their precious little girl would not survive the pregnancy - every parent's worst nightmare. Miraculously Jaymee survived the pregnancy, and despite a very rocky start to life (including being diagnosed with an exceedingly rare condition called Primary Intestinal Lymphangiectasia (PIL)/Waldmann's Disease at just 5 months of age), Jaymee has recently celebrated her 16th birthday! Unfortunately, around the time of her birthday, Jaymee's PIL symptoms returned with a vengeance - this time with a whole host of new ones. She has spent so much time in hospital that Kym has depleted all her paid leave as a school teacher and is currently on unpaid leave caring for her. This loss of work income and astronomical medication costs have placed a significant financial strain on the family. Jaymee's condition is so rare that only a few hundred people have been diagnosed with it worldwide. In addition, her specialists believe she may have some other underlying, currently undiagnosed conditions contributing to Jaymee's declining health. Having now exhausted all medical options in their hometown, Jaymee is being transferred some 1300kms away for further medical testing and care, placing further emotional and financial burden on the family. My goal is to not only raise enough money to compensate for Kym's loss of income but also to help cover the exorbitant medication costs and the additional costs of living associated with Jaymee's hospital transfer.

Every cent truly counts and is so very appreciated by this beautiful family and all who love them.