Chases Challenge

This is Chases challenge, I have started this gofundme page for my brother Anthony and his partner Avalon.  On the 10th of October 2016 their son baby Chase was born via natural delivery. For the first 12 hours everything was perfect just how it should be, mum and bub were doing great, dad was proud, life was great.  As Chase progressed into the second half of his first day of life he became very unwell his stomach became distended and he began to vomit green mucus and they didn’t k now why.  After much angst and many tests baby Chase was diagnosed with a very rare condition  - Anorectal Malformation or in English baby Chase was born without a hole in his bottom, a condition that later would be diagnosed as Imperforate Anus or IA. It is estimated that only 80 babies a year are born with this condition in Australia.  Chase lived in NICU at the Royal Hobart Hospital for the next 5.5 weeks after having life-saving surgery at 36 hours old. Chase has lived with a colostomy bag since the day of his surgery.  Anthony and Avalon have had weekly trips to Hobart, Chase has had 3 lots of surgery with one major one to come.  When they take Chase to Hobart they have to leave their other children in the care of family and friends to ensure they don’t miss school and continue in their normal routine as much as possible.  They have to stay overnight as the return trip to Hobart is 8 hours from their home on the East Coast of Tasmania.  Chase requires daily procedures at home which require both parents to be there, thus limiting options for ongoing work. Weekly trips to Hobart will continue in the short term for an unknown period of time as well as taking Chase to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne for bowel management. Friends and family offered to support through fundraising at the beginning of Chases journey but Anthony and Avalon were embarrassed and too proud to ask for help.  However now, the constant trips to Hobart,   staying so regularly and associated expenses means they have spent all their savings and maxed out their credit cards. Any donation will make a difference.   Chases condition will be on going for the rest of his life, he faces strict diet and a lifelong bowel management program.  Throughout all of chases struggles he remains the happiest baby with the brightest personality and the bravest soul, he is truly a hero.