It was a tee-rific day on the greens on Tuesday! Thank you to everyone who joined our very special golf day and helped us raise vital funds to improve the quality of life of children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families. Thank you so much to our MC John Deeks, auctioneer John Moyle and entertainers’ Peter Thackrah and Greg Champion for keeping everyone entertained throughout the lunch. We were also honoured to have very special sibling Bailey...

In 2019, Charlotte was like any other nine-year-old. She loved to dance, swim and spend time playing with her dolls. However, unlike most nine-year-olds, Charlotte was also facing a very scary diagnosis. “It began with a few signs of shaking and then she started to experience other symptoms like headaches,” shares Charlotte’s mum Louise. A visit to the doctor quickly led to a neurological exam and MRI scan, where they discovered a large cyst in Charlotte’s brain. “I was scared,”...

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is an initiative that provides very special siblings between the ages of 14 to 25 a platform to be heard. The group is made up of nine enthusiastic, motivated, and inspiring young adult and adolescent siblings eager to express their thoughts and ideas in bold, creative ways.    YAG member Jude, recently spoke at the Australian Paediatric Palliative Care Conference (APPCC) to teach healthcare professionals about the importance of the Youth Advisory Group. His speech is...

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is a new initiative that provides very special siblings between the ages of 14 to 25 a platform to be heard. The group is made up of nine enthusiastic, motivated, and inspiring young adult and adolescent siblings eager to express their thoughts and ideas in bold, creative ways. YAG member Liz, recently spoke at the Australian Paediatric Palliative Care Conference (APPCC) to teach healthcare professionals about the importance of the Youth Advisory Group. Her speech is...

After several miscarriages and a long IVF journey, parents Hannah and Mitch were overjoyed to learn they were pregnant. However, at a 29-week routine growth scan at their local hospital, doctors alerted them that something wasn’t right.    Hannah and Mitch were quickly referred to meet with several specialists in Melbourne. A few days later, their unborn daughter, Eliza, was diagnosed with Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD), a rare genetic disorder that affects one in 20,000 children.    At 38 weeks,...

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is a new initiative that provides very special siblings between the ages of 14 to 25 a platform to be heard. The group is made up of nine enthusiastic, motivated, and inspiring young adult and adolescent siblings eager to express their thoughts and ideas in bold, creative ways. In this series, our Youth Advisory Group members have interviewed each other to learn a bit more about their day-to-day life experiences and time with Very Special Kids....

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is a new initiative that provides very special siblings between the ages of 14 to 25 a platform to be heard. The group is made up of nine enthusiastic, motivated, and inspiring young adult and adolescent siblings eager to express their thoughts and ideas in bold, creative ways. In this series, our Youth Advisory Group members have interviewed each other to learn a bit more about their day-to-day life experiences and time with Very Special Kids....

Sandringham East Primary School has taught students a very special lesson about giving back to the community.    In early December, a brave group of year five and six students shaved their heads to help raise vital funds for Very Special Kids and improve the quality of life of children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families.    Teacher Simon Hargreaves, who initiated the fundraiser shares, “We’ve been talking about gratitude a lot lately. We are so blessed and it's...

This year, Brett and Amy will light up Kurunjang with their annual Christmas in Melrome Court Light Show, for its fifth year running.   The display features more than 45,000 programmable individual LED lights and will raise vital funds for Very Special Kids, who has supported the family since their son Jonah died from a genetic condition at just 90 minutes old in 2018.  “When we found out we were facing some very dark times with Jonah and his twin, Caleb,...

‘Creating Memories’ is a scrapbooking activity where bereaved parents can preserve and enhance valuable keepsakes, to honour the memory of their child.  The sessions are run bi-monthly at Very Special Kids and facilitated by Gerry Silk, a long-term Very Special Kids volunteer who has kindly shared her scrapbooking skills to guide parents through the scrapbooking process.   Scrapbooking after the death of a loved one can be an emotional and challenging experience. It can also be therapeutic, helping families to grieve...