Wills Home

Hi All,
My name is Will.  You may remember my story from around 2000 when I was 8months old and the Benalla community helped my family whilst I was in hospital waiting for and having my Liver transplant.   That was 17 years ago...

Now I am in need of community support again.  I am now 18 years old and have a long list of medical issues as well as Autism and an intellectual disability.  

I currenty live with mum and step dad in a private rental.  I am interested in all things outside including weather, garbage trucks, hot air balloons, swings, boomgates and trains.  When I am calm and happy, I have a great sense of humor and love to play games, puzzles and have a laugh with my family, friends and carers.

During my waking hours, I need constant supervision as I am very active and can be unpredictable and tend to get into mischief, such as taking clothes off the line and throwing plants, outdoor chairs, garden statues and even a blower vacum into the pool.

Like most hormonal teenagers, I am moody, and with my inability to clearly process information, especially when the information becomes unpredictable and changes, I go into a spin and my fight or flight response kicks into overdrive.

In these moments, I can engage in aggressive behaviours mainly towards my mum (who is my number one carer).  I will pull her hair, headbutt, pinch, kick, bite, but will also target other family members, carers and anyone else in striking distance.

I am also extremely aggressive towards myself when I am frustrated, overwhelmed or anxious.  I will hit and smack myself in the head, face and over my body.  I will knee myself in the head, bite my hands,and throw myself on the ground and at objects. I bang my head on objects such as kitchen benches, concrete and metal poles, shower screens, glass windows and doors, on many occassions breaking the glass and causing injuries on my head.  All of which is horrendous for anyone to witness.

I also engage in destructive behaviour, kicking or head butting holes in walls, smashing plates, bowls, cups and other breakable objects in the house. I will also throw things outside ie. pot plants, garden tools, garden furniture, bricks or rocks which are usually aimed at the house windows or car windscreens and windows.

In the past 12 months my family have had to replace many house windows, 3 car windscreens, 2 car back windows and multiple car side windows. With no lockable garage to park the cars, they have been parking away from the front of the house, although that hasn't stopped me carrying rocks or bricks out to throw at the cars.

My family is working with Behaviour Specialists and an OT to try to understand why I  do certain things and to help me learn to try and understand my feelings and express them in a more appropriate way.  I am not a bad person and it really upsets me when I have my meltdowns, and cause my family a lot of angst.

I take many medications to help reduce my anxieties and make me feel happier, however this is  complicated because of my Liver transplant, so there are many medications that I am not able to take.These medications often need to be changed and are not always covered by the PBS. These are expensive.

It is my dream that I have my own permanent accomodation where I dont have the risk of being evicted because of my unpredictable behaviours.  The home will be modified to provide opportunities for me to engage in activities which will help me to reduce my stress and anxieties and provide me a clam safe and secure place to live.   I am not a suitable candidate for a group home because of my extreme behaviours. I will be eligible for the NDIS, but this scheme will not provide me with a home.

Proceeds from this go fund me page will go towards the purchase of the home and setting it up to suit my needs.  Any support would be greatly appreciated, before we reach crisis point.   

Please note that whilst this appears to be written in my words, my mum has had to do the work as I could not put anything like this together.