Community

The first few months of Aaliyah's life were the hardest, loneliest months of my life so far. We were lost, oh so lost. But slowly but surely we dug our selves out of the trenches, found some answers and found support. 

Its a funny little world you find yourself in. Thrust into a world where audiology appointments and speech assessments are the norm. Appointment after appointment. Some days were HARD. Trying to get an eight month old baby to keep a hearing aid on (and out of her mouth) was no easy task. There were days (and still are days) that I want to throw that hearing aid against the wall and walk away from it all. For good. 

The only reason we have managed to carry on and not give up is because of our village. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, we have a village, not only for our children but for us as well. And to say that we are blessed would be an understatement. What we lack in finances we more than make up in support. And I am not just talking about financial support (although our friends, family and strangers have been more than generous). It is so much more than that. 

Friends that drive from one end of Brisbane to the other, just to pick up a fundraiser tin. Those that volunteer at each of our fundraisers and those that turn up to each and every event. The ones that send me emails and messages, checking to make sure I am ok, is there anything they can do. 

Its the people that we have never even met donating, spreading the word. 

Its the friendships made, bonds that have been formed. 

It is for this reason, that despite the challenges, the hard times and the dark days, Im not sure I would change it. In some ways, I am grateful for Aaliyah's microtia. It has opened up my eyes to just how amazing this life is, how compassionate the human race can be. The past four years have seen up witness some of the most gracious acts, the best of humanity. And for that, we are blessed. How many people go through life without really, REALLY seeing just how amazing man kind can be. We have, we have seen it, we have lived it, and we are thankful for it. 

We have some hard times ahead. We have eight short months to some how come up with another $60 000, a near impossible task. On the days that I feel like giving up, I just need to look at where we have come from. And the support we have. Our family, our friends and our followers. Aaliyahs Journey facebook page has 788 followers, many of whom I do not personally know. When my spirits are low I just need to look to her facebook page to see just how much support we have. 

A HUGE HUGE thank you to all that have followed our journey so far, those that have been there from the beginning and those that have just started walking with us. 

This post is dedicated to our support network. We could not have asked for a better network for to walk this path with us. Without your support giving Aaliyah the gift of hearing would not have been a thought to be considered. Together we will get Aaliyah to the states. 

Blessed Beyond Measure x

 

SHE IS WORTH IT

Tri Nation Challenge

It has come to our attention that we have followers and supporters from all over the world. People that have found out about our cause through family, friends or the media. For that we are truly grateful. That said there are three countries that we have the most followers and supporters - Australia (goes without saying), New Zealand and America.

We have had a lot of people comment that they would love to help Aaliyah but do not really have the funds to do so. And we get that. Times are hard for many of us and just making it to the next paycheck can be a struggle. With this in mind we wanted to find a way that would allow more people to support our journey without them breaking the bank.

It was with this in mind that my Aunt came up with the idea to hold a tri nation challenge. What we are asking is the following. Do you have a takeaway coffee on the way to work everyday? Buy a bottle of water? Or maybe a muffin and a magazine? We are asking people to donate the cost of a cup of coffee ($3 - $6, depending on where you live and what size you buy) per week (more if you like). It doesn't sound like much but if we have 40 people giving $5 per week for 20 weeks we will raise $4000. The more people we have support this, the more money we will raise.

So, where does the Tri- Nation Challenge come in. Well, Aaliyah has bank accounts set up in her name in Australia, New Zealand and America. We are putting the challenge out there to see which nation can get the most supporters for Aaliyah's Journey. I will be putting together an online Google Doc as well as creating a private group on facebook to access this document. All you have to do, is donate weekly (or the total amount monthly, whatever is easiest) into the country account of your choice. The country with the most supporters by the time Aaliyah gets her surgery wins.

I will be posting all three bank account details on this blog (in a separate post) as well as on her facebook page. We encourage you to to please share this link and the FB group with all of your friends. I will share the group on her page as well once I have set it up.

And as a little plug for all of Aaliyah's Australian followers. Her account in Australia is tax deductible. Meaning if you send me your postal address you will receive a monthly receipt that allows you to claim as a donation on your tax return.

We will not be doing it based on amounts donated, as due to the exchange rate, each dollar amount is worth different depending on the country. I also dont want to turn it into a game of  'I can donate more than you". Its not about that - for us, its about getting Aaliyah her surgery and allowing people to donate as they are able too.

All three account information will be available either later today or tomorrow. A huge thank you to Raewyn, Kathryn and Denise for setting up accounts for Aaliyah in New Zealand and America. Without your support, this would not be possible.

And a little reminder of who this is all for - little Aaliyah, 4 years old - loves swimming, dancing, playing with barbies and waiting for the gift of sound. 

Thank you for your support 

xxx