The pain of injury exacerbated by the anguish of having to watch the thing I love dearest from the stands again is only cured by the beautiful medicine I call “perspective”.
For those who’ve followed my journey to date, they’d know it’s been the sole thing that has eased the heartache I’ve encountered behind closed doors or publicly time and time again.
Unfortunately for some, their cure is sometimes hard to find, comes at an extreme pain and requires constant testing, probing, countless surgeries and chemotherapy carried out by trusted experts and doctors.
Sadly, unlike perspective, it isn’t free of charge too.
Which brings me onto Jorja! A young, enthusiastically glowing soul who faces the biggest challenge of her life – albeit with a radiating smile that’d light up the darkest of rooms, a strong mother and accommodating older sister by her side every step of the way.
Jorja has severe aplastic anaemia but government assistance is little to none, as it categorically does not fit the criteria for traditional cancer monetary support – something that shocked me but is a current reality in our health system.
All this being said, both Jorja and her mum, Jodie, seem to tackle the situation with the strength of champions and an attitude of the highest degree.
My heart aches seeing anyone facing a battle like this.
Knowing firsthand the weekly struggles a single mother endures trying to provide for her children, it’s astonishing to think Jodie is somehow doing all this with a severely ill child in the equation. It’s a path nobody should have to walk.
Parents of very sick children fight an often silent battle that most of us never see.
Easing the burden financially will by no means take away this pain, but hopefully it will provide a stepping stone to help minimise the pressure on what is already a really stressful weight on their shoulders!
This past week my knee has dominated the media, but I’d hope Jorja’s struggle strikes a chord and inspires you to focus your attention on a story worth sharing and fighting for.
Hopefully helping hands will flow in abundance as a result.
Real life issues deserve big time coverage!
People, let’s help...
Please open your heart and contribute here: https://www.gofundme.com/nic-nat-helps-jorja
We acknowledge that Jorja's in-patient care is provided as normal. The classification of Jorja's ilness means she does not qualify for assistance from non-government patient support organisations.
