Help Us Make Precious Memories with Malekai

For those of you who are sharing your stories, this is now mine.

My name is Khloey, and I am the proud mum of my beautiful boy, Malekai. This is our story.

On the 16th of August, 2024, our world changed forever. After months of illness, endless doctor visits, and countless sleepless nights, an optometrist finally discovered the cause of my son’s suffering — a brain tumour.

At the time, we were living in the Northern Territory, but we were immediately careflighted to South Australia for urgent surgery and further treatment.

On August 27th, 2024, my brave boy underwent surgery to remove a pilomyxoid astrocytoma. Since then, our journey has been filled with challenges — Malekai developed hydrocephalus, requiring a VP shunt insertion on October 6th, 2024, and was later diagnosed with hypopituitarism, hypothalamic dysfunction, and other permanent disabilities. Tests also confirmed the tumour was cancerous.

During surgery, Malekai suffered a severe acquired brain injury (ABI), which has left him unable to walk or move independently. Despite everything, his strength and spirit continue to inspire everyone who meets him.

Because of his ongoing medical needs, our family made the difficult decision to relocate permanently to South Australia so we could stay close to his treatment team. I am currently unable to work due to Malekai’s complex care needs, and while my partner runs his own small business, life doesn’t stop for tragedy — the bills, rent, and responsibilities continue to pile up.

We upgraded our car to a 7-seater Ford Everest, hoping that one day Malekai would walk out of the hospital with us. Sadly, that hasn’t been possible.

Our vehicle cannot be modified for wheelchair access without removing the seats our other three children — Iazaiah (10), Aaliyah (6), and baby Archie — need. Right now, we rely on support services to transport Kai, which means as a family, we haven’t had an outing together with him for over a year.

It breaks my heart that his siblings are missing out on time and memories with their big brother. Each day is unpredictable — some days Kai feels well, others he cannot get out of bed. All we want is to be able to take him to the beach, to the river, or even just for a family picnic by the ducks — simple moments that mean everything to us now.

We don’t know how much time we have left with our boy, but we do know that every moment counts.

I’m reaching out with all the love of a mother’s heart, asking for help to raise enough funds for a wheelchair-accessible van — either through modifications or purchasing one already fitted — so that we can give Malekai the family adventures and memories he deserves.

Even the smallest donation — $10, $20, anything you can spare — brings us one step closer to making this possible.

We’ve endured heartbreak after heartbreak, and while we continue to grieve and adapt, our greatest wish is to make the time we have left with Kai as joyful and memorable as we can.

From the bottom of my heart — thank you for taking the time to read our story, for sharing it, and for helping us create precious moments together as a family.

With love and gratitude,

Khloey & Family