- M
- M
For those of you who don’t know, my sister Maïlys and my brother in law Berlin are expecting their first baby in December. They were married in India 2 years ago (to the day) and have been living there together since.
They had been planning on starting a family before COVID-19 spread over the globe in a matter of weeks. Maïlys found out she was pregnant just as India was shut down overnight.
As most of you can imagine, being pregnant in a pandemic has been an extreme strain on Maïlys, with Berlin not being allowed to accompany her to appointments, and being so far away from family. In India, it’s being taken to an even greater extreme, with Berlin being told he cannot be with Maïlys for the birth.
For this reason, the decision was made and the plan was put in place for them to come to Melbourne for the birth. Berlin had his Visa approved, but for weeks they were not sure if they could even get a flight. Flights are scarce and with social distancing in place, their only option was to buy Business class tickets (extremely unaffordable for them). On top of this cost, they have to pay for 14 days of hotel quarantine in Sydney, another flight to Melbourne, and find accomodation once they arrive here. They booked the tickets two days ago and were due to arrive in Sydney on the 26th.
Unfortunately, just when they thought they had as many hurdles as could be thrown their way, they discovered that one of Berlin’s uncles (whom he had graciously driven to the hospital) was tested positive for COVID and sadly passed away shortly thereafter. For those of you who know Berlin, this would come as no surprise. He would do anything for friends, family and even strangers, when given the opportunity to help them. Berlin has been isolating ever since, but unfortunately, today on their wedding anniversary, Maïlys got the news that he has tested positive for the virus and cannot join her in her travel.
She will still be coming, but you can imagine the emotional, mental, and financial strain this has put on them. This year of uncertainty has been magnified for them, with this being the hardest hit of all. We are all hopeful and prayerful for his quick recovery. But in the meantime, this also means double the hotel quarantine cost and the very real and scary uncertainty of when Maïlys will see him again, and if he will be able to get another flight in time.
I am setting up this GoFundMe to help them with the financial strain. If you are able and willing to contribute, that would be truly amazing. They are not ones to ask for help, so any contribution, no matter how small, would be an immense help to them. I know that your prayers will also be greatly appreciated by both of them (for Berlin’s recovery, and for Maïlys and the baby’s health safety on the flight and travelling). For anyone who is able to contribute in a physical capacity once she arrives, please feel free to reach out to myself or a member of the family.
Edit: After speaking with Maïlys and Berlin, we discovered that the cost of flights are $7852 and quarantine is $6000. For this reason, we have raised the goal to $11 000
They had been planning on starting a family before COVID-19 spread over the globe in a matter of weeks. Maïlys found out she was pregnant just as India was shut down overnight.
As most of you can imagine, being pregnant in a pandemic has been an extreme strain on Maïlys, with Berlin not being allowed to accompany her to appointments, and being so far away from family. In India, it’s being taken to an even greater extreme, with Berlin being told he cannot be with Maïlys for the birth.
For this reason, the decision was made and the plan was put in place for them to come to Melbourne for the birth. Berlin had his Visa approved, but for weeks they were not sure if they could even get a flight. Flights are scarce and with social distancing in place, their only option was to buy Business class tickets (extremely unaffordable for them). On top of this cost, they have to pay for 14 days of hotel quarantine in Sydney, another flight to Melbourne, and find accomodation once they arrive here. They booked the tickets two days ago and were due to arrive in Sydney on the 26th.
Unfortunately, just when they thought they had as many hurdles as could be thrown their way, they discovered that one of Berlin’s uncles (whom he had graciously driven to the hospital) was tested positive for COVID and sadly passed away shortly thereafter. For those of you who know Berlin, this would come as no surprise. He would do anything for friends, family and even strangers, when given the opportunity to help them. Berlin has been isolating ever since, but unfortunately, today on their wedding anniversary, Maïlys got the news that he has tested positive for the virus and cannot join her in her travel.
She will still be coming, but you can imagine the emotional, mental, and financial strain this has put on them. This year of uncertainty has been magnified for them, with this being the hardest hit of all. We are all hopeful and prayerful for his quick recovery. But in the meantime, this also means double the hotel quarantine cost and the very real and scary uncertainty of when Maïlys will see him again, and if he will be able to get another flight in time.
I am setting up this GoFundMe to help them with the financial strain. If you are able and willing to contribute, that would be truly amazing. They are not ones to ask for help, so any contribution, no matter how small, would be an immense help to them. I know that your prayers will also be greatly appreciated by both of them (for Berlin’s recovery, and for Maïlys and the baby’s health safety on the flight and travelling). For anyone who is able to contribute in a physical capacity once she arrives, please feel free to reach out to myself or a member of the family.
Edit: After speaking with Maïlys and Berlin, we discovered that the cost of flights are $7852 and quarantine is $6000. For this reason, we have raised the goal to $11 000