Born with what appeared to be a small bruise on her cheek, it was found that Jayda Dillon in fact had Infantile Hemangioma.  Seeking further understanding of what their newborn daughter had, Jayda was later diagnosed with PHACES Syndrome.  This is a very uncommon medical condition that is associated with anomalies of the blood vessels in the head and chest.

After much research, the Dillon Family decided that Jayda’s best chance of treatment was at the Texas Women’s Hospital in the U.S.  This hospital had a Vascular Anomalies Clinic and doctors that specialised in PHACES Syndrome.

Through local fundraising the Dillon’s were able to raise a portion of what was required to make the trip to the U.S.  However, WA Charity Direct donated the remaining balance to assist with flights and medical costs.

Within one week of waking up and noticing a lump on her breast, Jodie Grant was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Pregnant at the time, Jodie had to make the heart breaking decision of aborting the baby in hope of her own survival.

After having the cancer removed and dealing with five and a half months of chemotherapy, Jodie nearly died due to an anaplhaxis reaction and spent the next 12 days in hospital.

Jodie’s husband had to give up work to look after her and the children. Financially the Grant Family have found it very tough to survive and enlisted in the help of WA Charity Direct by helping pay medical bills and living expenses.

Diagnosed with breast cancer Sharon Gade underwent a breast mastectomy and then breast reconstruction.  Unfortunately the reconstruction was not successful, requiring Sharon  to go back in for corrective surgery.

With rising medical costs and general living expenses, Sharon soon found herself in debt.  After being approached by The Breast Cancer Foundation, WA Charity Direct donated funds into a trust account to help Sharon with medical and living expenses.

Born with Cerebral Palsy and Sticklers Syndrome (a combination of Scoliosis and Osteoarthritis) Melissa Northcott has faced many challenges in her 23 years.  With limited balance, mobility and loss of vision in her right eye teamed with joint pain in her hips, knees, ankles, back and shoulders a routine daily shower was a lengthy activity with an old bathroom design at the Northcott residence.

Melissa’s Occupational Therapist Kim Johnson,  wrote to WA Charity Direct in need of funding for bathroom renovations to make the shower wheelchair friendly.

Helped by Community Aids and Equipment Program and the Barrow’s Foundation, WA Charity Direct was able to donate the remaining funds required to complete the renovations.  Melissa is now able to shower independently and freely with the new spacious design which benefits her whole family.

The McLeod family have had a tough run, beginning with mother Heidi being diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2008. Whilst dealing with her treatment and trying to care for her 3 children, it was  then discovered that 10 year old Jordan has an inoperable malignant brain tumour. This alone requires ongoing treatment including frequent trips to PMH for MRI’s, Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy.  Heidi’s prognosis is optimistic and Jordan’s condition relies heavily on regular and frequent monitoring. As Heidi can only work one day per week and with the odd relief work when available, this has put the family under financial pressure.

WA Charity Direct donated funds into  a trust managed by the Breast Cancer Foundation of Western Australia which will in turn help the McLeod Family with their medical bills and living expenses.

A holiday at Quobba Station took a tragic turn for the Spreadborough Family when father, Robert, fell 15 metres after the cliff he was standing on gave way.  Robert is now confined to a wheelchair and is completely dependant on his wife Samantha who is now his full time carer.

Robert & Samantha  have 2 children aged 6 & 9 yrs old. Their 6yr old son Reuben has Global Developmental Delay which is a condition very similar to Cerebral Palsy. Reuben requires weekly speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy sessions to help with his condition.

For completely opposite reasons, both Rob & Reuben require regular hydrotherapy sessions, Reuben has extremely low muscle tone and needs to strengthen his weak muscles while Rob has high muscle tone and suffers with muscle spasms needing to relax his muscles.

As the sole carer, Sam, spent countless hours travelling to and from therapy. When WA Charity Direct heard of their plight the decision was made to help the family purchase a spa of their very own. The result – Rob & Reuben get their therapy sessions daily in the comfort of their own home and Sam no longer has a hectic travel schedule to adhere to. Most of all the family now have something they are able to enjoy together.

‘Mercy dash boy’ Aiden Brown has lost both of his feet and part of his fingers after a life-threatening bout of severe viral pneumonia. The seven year old fell ill in November 2008 and was flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne for specialist treatment. In March 2009, Aiden took his first steps on his new prosthetic feet at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Aiden’s parents, Nadia and Michael, have spent all their savings to save their little boy. The financial stress placed upon the entire Brown family has been enormous.  Hearing the South Guildford family’s plight, WA Charity Direct swung into action and purchased a brand new Hyundai i30 with the help of Mandurah Hyundai.

On Good Friday 2008, while holidaying with his family, Elliot dove into the ocean hitting a sandbar, resulting in him becoming a quadriplegic.  Elliot  is a very determined and positive young man who has already exceeded doctor’s expectations.

WA Charity Direct donated funds towards a set of power assisted wheels for Elliot’s manual wheelchair.  The e-Motion wheels are battery powered and will allow Elliot to push himself over longer distances and up hills, giving him a lot more freedom and independence.

While motorcycling off road, Jaimen was involved in an accident which resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic. Jaimen’s wish is to be independent and lead a life as close to normal as possible.

Upon application, WA Charity Direct donated funds towards a set of power assisted wheels for Jaimen’s manual wheelchair.  The e-Motion wheels are battery powered and this will allow Jaimen to push himself over longer distances and up hills, giving him a lot more freedom and independence.

HeartKids WA Inc is a not for profit group established to support families and their children  who are born with or acquire a heart condition.  They provide a diverse range of support programs for all members of the family and aim to provide appropriate programs for heart children of all ages.

WA Charity Direct recognises the great work that HeartKids WA performs and was delighted to provide financial support.   Each year HeartKids Australia runs a Teen Camp over the Australia Day long weekend.  Some of the funds donated by WA Charity Direct helped to send  5 WA HeartKids to the national Camp who were not in a financial position to do so.  The remaining funds were used to support a variety of programs that HeartKids WA offer.