Kirsty Feliciotto

For the past 20 years, Kirsty and I have been a team. As a mother to our four children, Chiara, Bianca, Valentino, and Gianluca, and my partner in our business, The School Canteen, Kirsty has spent her life nurturing others. For 15 years, we have served the local schools in our community, preparing fresh, homemade meals using my Nonna’s traditional recipes, food made from scratch, without any of the nasties. Kirsty’s strength and warmth have always been the heartbeat of our family and our business. Recently, our world changed forever. After months of believing she was struggling with a nervous breakdown and psychosis, Kirsty was finally diagnosed in January with Primary Non-Fluent Aphasia (PNFA) Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). At just 45 years old, she is far too young to be facing this. The progression of this disease has been cruel and rapid. Kirsty has lost her ability to communicate and now requires 24/7 care for every aspect of her life, from showering and dressing to the most basic daily tasks. I have stepped into the role of her full-time carer. While The School Canteen is still operating, I am only able to oversee it in a very limited capacity. I am incredibly grateful to have such wonderful, loyal staff who have been with us for so many years; they have become my family, my friends, and my support system. I truly could not have done this without them. Why We Are Asking for Your Help We are at a turning point. Our children still need their mother, and I refuse to give up on her. I am committed to fighting for her quality of life every single day, which includes actively researching and pursuing potential clinical trials around the world. Hope is what keeps us going, but the logistical and financial costs of accessing international care are significant. We are reaching out to our community to help us raise funds for three critical goals: Medical, Care & Clinical Trials. To cover the specialised medical support and daily care Kirsty requires, and to provide the financial foundation necessary to travel for potential global clinical trials that may offer a path forward. A Stable Home. Our family is currently in a position where we need to secure a permanent, accessible, and stable home. Stability is the one thing we can offer our children in the midst of this crisis, and it is essential for Kirsty’s ongoing care. How You Can Help Having spent 15 years nourishing our community with the traditions I grew up with, it is incredibly humbling to now ask that community to stand with us. Any contribution, large or small, directly impacts Kirsty’s care, our search for treatment, and our family’s ability to stay together in a stable home. Please share this link with your friends, family, and networks. The more people who understand what our family is facing, the greater the support we can gather. Your kindness, messages of love, and offers of practical help for the children are all deeply appreciated. Kirsty is an incredible woman, mother, and partner. Thank you for standing with us, for honoring her journey, and for helping me give her the best life possible under these heartbreaking circumstances. With love and gratitude, Jason