This isn't just a 'story'. This is our LIFE!
Since August, we have had the honour of sharing our story through the incredible reach of the Royal Flying Doctors Service.
The Flying Doctors took care of us during a scary and uncertain time, and they flew us back out to Sydney after Carter was transferred home to Dubbo, so that we could have the final test done to determine whether or not we could finally bring our boy home.
We were approached by the RFDS within two weeks of bringing Carter home.
I instantly knew that I wanted to share our story with their donors and prospective donors, to ensure that they knew the difference that they were making for families like ours.
We had a film crew in our home for an entire day!
We loved meeting Ryan and Lauren! They made revisiting those hard moments so much easier.
After talking with Ryan about what they hoped to accomplish from sharing our story with people, I instantly knew that I wanted to be apart of this.
I wanted people to know that we thought “it won’t happen to us”, just like they’re probably thinking it won’t happen to them.
I wanted people to know that their donations are being seen by the people who need it most.
I wanted people to know that they were making a difference and that lives were being saved because of the choices they’d made to donate to the RFDS.
So the incredible team for the Royal Flying Doctors got to work, spending MONTHS on the Christmas appeal campaign, perfectly planning how they would help us to share our story with the rest of the country.
I have to say, I bawled my eyes out when I saw the digital versions.. and then bawled even more when we received the samples.
This isn’t just a ‘story’. This is our LIFE!
And all these feelings, they’re replicated across the country.. across the globe.. by families who are experiencing the heartache of a premature or sick baby in the NICU.
I can’t thank Ryan, Lauren, Nikki, Rachael, Nick.. and all the other wonderful people with the RFDS, for making this happen and for sharing our story.
Carter’s journey is lived by thousands and thousands of families, families who don’t have a platform to share their journey the way we can.
We are so appreciative of the work that has gone into this campaign and we hope it continues to bring in many more donations!
Please consider making a donation to the RFDS this Christmas by clicking here!
There are so many kind hearts that made our journey what it was.
I spent my first night in the hospital with Carter when he was three months old.
He'd been transferred home to Dubbo Base Hospital and they have facilities that allow mothers to stay with their babies in the nursery.
That day, Carter was almost sent back to Sydney.
He'd been desating and was having dusky episodes, one after the next. I was too scared to leave his side.
That night, I met a wonderful nurse. Her name was 'Jenny'.
She got me set up for the night and ensured I had enough blankets and pillows to make the fold-out-chair seem more appealing.
"If you want to have a snuggle with him, I don't see why that would be a problem. He's monitored and we're checking in on him for tube feeds anyway.. would you like to do that?" I burst into tears! "Yes please" I said. Jenny had a word with the doctor and made sure the other nurses knew at handover.
That night, he didn't have a single desat in the entire seven hours that I snuggled with him.
We had missed so many firsts. "Finally, I had a moment that wasn't going to be taken from me."
And, of course, our story..
You can also read the enclosed letter to RFDS supporters by clicking here!
If you are an RFDS donor, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Thanks to your generosity, the Flying Doctors can continue to do incredible work and bring babies like Carter home for Christmas.
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