Hallie's Fight
Donativo protegido
Hi, I’m Danielle Dignon and along with a few other close friends we decided to start a go fund me to help our best friends help their little girl. Hallie. Hallie’s Story begins in September of 2014 when she was born with a birth defect called Gastroschisis which affects 1 in 2229 children and means that Hallie was born with her intestines growing outside her body.
After a high risk pregnancy, Hallie was born emergency C section and was rushed straight away to surgery. This was a difficult time for her Mother Lorsi - without the usual time to hold her newborn daughter after birth - and the added stress of the immediate emergency surgery. Lorsi recalls how painful it was for her to be discharged from hospital after Hallie’s birth without her beloved daughter, as Hallie needed to stay in hospital for the first 2 months of her life in Neo-natal intensive care before finally being allowed to go home in Adelaide South Australia.
This was to be the first of many struggles the family has had to deal with in the 3 1/2 short years since Hallie was born. Due to a multitude of complications with her health Hallie was in and out of hospital over 12 times in the first 2 years of her life. In late 2016 Hallie’s health seriously deteriorated and Surgeons were forced to operate again to remove a blockage from her bowel. The surgery was undertaken at The Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital and meant that the family was split between two states with Lorsi staying with Hallie in hospital for over 3 months and her partner Habbs was forced to stay in Adelaide with the older children due to work and School commitments. Lorsi recalls how stressful this situation was with her and Hallie being isolated away from their family and also the support from friends. They eventually returned to Adelaide once Hallie’s condition stabilised and the family had thought their struggles were finally behind them, as Hallie resumed a healthy and active lifestyle with her older siblings.
Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and 3 months ago Hallie was rushed into emergency surgery with life threatening complications from yet another blockage in her bowel.
10 surgeries later - and yet more complications - Hallie has had both her small and large intestine removed and had suffered total intestinal failure. Hallie has spent much of that time in the Intensive Care Unit - and despite her strength and will to live - has almost lost her life a few times.
This journey has completely thrown the family’s lives into turmoil. Not only have they had to deal with the prospect that they may loose little Hallie but they are again struggling with the reality that the family has been torn apart again as Lorsi is staying bedside with Hallie at The Women’s & Children’s Hospital, while her partner Habbs tries to run his own business and also juggle the needs of their two other children and the financial stress of running the household.
The sad reality for the family now is due to Hallie’s intestinal failure she can no longer eat or be fed through her mouth. She will need to receive the nutrition she would usual obtain from eating through an intravenous drip otherwise know as Total Perinatal Nutrition (TPN).
Hallie will need to be connected to her TPN tube for 18 hours a day to survive. It is a struggle to imagine the family no longer being able to sit at the dinner table eating together, that Hallie cannot share cake with her friends at birthday parties, she’s unable to do her favourite swimming lessons, even attending kindy or school won’t be possible or go on family holidays together.
Hallie has been in hospital now for 14 weeks and the family have recently be advised they will need to remain there for a further 9 weeks to undergo intense training on how to operate Hallie’s TPN to keep this strong little warrior alive at home. The idea of the family living a normal life has changed forever - although the fact that Hallie is still alive makes their struggle worth it.
At this stage the amazing Surgeons and Nurses in Adelaide have done all they can to help Hallie however the next step in her treatment is to see the Specialists in Melbourne. In the future Hallie may be eligible for a bowel and intestinal transplant - and although this surgery isn’t common in Australia - Doctors in Melbourne have successfully undertaken this procedure.
We set up this page as Hallie’s parents - our best friends - are the strongest, most selfless people we know. Not only have they continued their volunteer work whilst all of this has been happening, but Hallie’s Mum Lorsi also shaved her head for the “World Greatest Shave” last month to raise money for Cancer & Leukaemia research. Their struggle is our struggle and we can’t let this beautiful family do this alone.
This Go Fund me page will help keep the family going and assist with expenses compounded by the lost time and income from being self-employed. You can help lift the financial burden they face now and into the future. The journey to Melbourne for Hallie’s treatment could potentially mean a stay of more than 6 months - and would once again mean the family would be split between two states alone with minimal support and without their usual network of friends around to help where we can. Help us help them to support Hallie and their little family in this time of need. Funds will be automatically transferred into Lorsi’s account daily using Stripe recommended by GoFundMe.
Below we have also included the link to an Instagram account that Lorsi has created - as a platform for a charity she is planning to establish to support parents with sick children that call hospital home. It’s a raw insight to some of the struggles they face on a daily basis. We would encourage you all to follow and share their journey on social media.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, support and financial contribution - every little bit counts.
With Love
Danni, Sarah, Tash, Kimmy, Nerissa and Mel x
http://www.instagram.com/home_is_where_i_am_
After a high risk pregnancy, Hallie was born emergency C section and was rushed straight away to surgery. This was a difficult time for her Mother Lorsi - without the usual time to hold her newborn daughter after birth - and the added stress of the immediate emergency surgery. Lorsi recalls how painful it was for her to be discharged from hospital after Hallie’s birth without her beloved daughter, as Hallie needed to stay in hospital for the first 2 months of her life in Neo-natal intensive care before finally being allowed to go home in Adelaide South Australia.
This was to be the first of many struggles the family has had to deal with in the 3 1/2 short years since Hallie was born. Due to a multitude of complications with her health Hallie was in and out of hospital over 12 times in the first 2 years of her life. In late 2016 Hallie’s health seriously deteriorated and Surgeons were forced to operate again to remove a blockage from her bowel. The surgery was undertaken at The Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital and meant that the family was split between two states with Lorsi staying with Hallie in hospital for over 3 months and her partner Habbs was forced to stay in Adelaide with the older children due to work and School commitments. Lorsi recalls how stressful this situation was with her and Hallie being isolated away from their family and also the support from friends. They eventually returned to Adelaide once Hallie’s condition stabilised and the family had thought their struggles were finally behind them, as Hallie resumed a healthy and active lifestyle with her older siblings.
Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and 3 months ago Hallie was rushed into emergency surgery with life threatening complications from yet another blockage in her bowel.
10 surgeries later - and yet more complications - Hallie has had both her small and large intestine removed and had suffered total intestinal failure. Hallie has spent much of that time in the Intensive Care Unit - and despite her strength and will to live - has almost lost her life a few times.
This journey has completely thrown the family’s lives into turmoil. Not only have they had to deal with the prospect that they may loose little Hallie but they are again struggling with the reality that the family has been torn apart again as Lorsi is staying bedside with Hallie at The Women’s & Children’s Hospital, while her partner Habbs tries to run his own business and also juggle the needs of their two other children and the financial stress of running the household.
The sad reality for the family now is due to Hallie’s intestinal failure she can no longer eat or be fed through her mouth. She will need to receive the nutrition she would usual obtain from eating through an intravenous drip otherwise know as Total Perinatal Nutrition (TPN).
Hallie will need to be connected to her TPN tube for 18 hours a day to survive. It is a struggle to imagine the family no longer being able to sit at the dinner table eating together, that Hallie cannot share cake with her friends at birthday parties, she’s unable to do her favourite swimming lessons, even attending kindy or school won’t be possible or go on family holidays together.
Hallie has been in hospital now for 14 weeks and the family have recently be advised they will need to remain there for a further 9 weeks to undergo intense training on how to operate Hallie’s TPN to keep this strong little warrior alive at home. The idea of the family living a normal life has changed forever - although the fact that Hallie is still alive makes their struggle worth it.
At this stage the amazing Surgeons and Nurses in Adelaide have done all they can to help Hallie however the next step in her treatment is to see the Specialists in Melbourne. In the future Hallie may be eligible for a bowel and intestinal transplant - and although this surgery isn’t common in Australia - Doctors in Melbourne have successfully undertaken this procedure.
We set up this page as Hallie’s parents - our best friends - are the strongest, most selfless people we know. Not only have they continued their volunteer work whilst all of this has been happening, but Hallie’s Mum Lorsi also shaved her head for the “World Greatest Shave” last month to raise money for Cancer & Leukaemia research. Their struggle is our struggle and we can’t let this beautiful family do this alone.
This Go Fund me page will help keep the family going and assist with expenses compounded by the lost time and income from being self-employed. You can help lift the financial burden they face now and into the future. The journey to Melbourne for Hallie’s treatment could potentially mean a stay of more than 6 months - and would once again mean the family would be split between two states alone with minimal support and without their usual network of friends around to help where we can. Help us help them to support Hallie and their little family in this time of need. Funds will be automatically transferred into Lorsi’s account daily using Stripe recommended by GoFundMe.
Below we have also included the link to an Instagram account that Lorsi has created - as a platform for a charity she is planning to establish to support parents with sick children that call hospital home. It’s a raw insight to some of the struggles they face on a daily basis. We would encourage you all to follow and share their journey on social media.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, support and financial contribution - every little bit counts.
With Love
Danni, Sarah, Tash, Kimmy, Nerissa and Mel x
http://www.instagram.com/home_is_where_i_am_
Organizador
Danielle Dignon
Organizador
Angle Vale SA
