“Phoebe has given me so much and now I am able to give back … I’m doing something to honour her life.”
In December 2016 Phoebe was born with a severe and undiagnosed neurological condition. Little Phoebe would have up to 30 seizures over a 24-hour period, during which she would stop breathing. It was a daily fight for Phoebe and she went into hospital at just eight weeks of age.
Phoebe’s mother Meisha would bring her older sister Elara to see her every day, and after a trial for CBD oil that helped in shortening her seizures and allowing her to breathe through them, the family was able to bring Phoebe home for a couple of months.
As her condition worsened, Phoebe returned to hospital where her family stayed by her side as they celebrated Christmas and her first birthday. Meisha then made the decision to bring her home where she died a week later.
Let's bring even more support to South Australians facing end-of-life
Meisha became involved in the Paediatric Palliative Care Peer Mentor Program in its initial pilot stage, that only progressed thanks to your donations. Since those early days, Meisha has walked alongside many families navigating end-of-life and bereavement.
“All of the families I’ve worked with have commented on how helpful it is to have someone there who understands, who’s actually walked the same corridors in the hospital,” she says.
The program has helped Meisha remember Phoebe and her journey, and she’s found incredible value and healing in sharing such a vulnerable time in their lives.
Together, we can enrich the lives of even more South Australian families
Navigating the complexities of caring for an unwell child with a life-limiting illness can feel emotionally overwhelming. To provide additional support during these difficult times, the Paediatric Palliative Care Peer Mentor Program offers a compassionate resource.
This Christmas, let’s join together to bring even more valuable support programs to South Australian families facing end of life.
Give the gift of compassion this Christmas
Without your support, families facing the unimaginable will have to navigate their grief and caregiving alone, without the compassion and connection provided by programs like the Peer Mentor Program.
It is only with your help that we can continue to bring vital programs and initiatives like the Paediatric Peer Mentor Program to even more South Australians, and improve and expand experiences of end-of-life through education, advocacy, and research.
Your donation this Christmas will bring invaluable compassion, comfort, and understanding to families as they face end-of-life.
