We raise funds for our little heroes like Frank!

Meet Frank, born at only 25 weeks weighing a tiny 601gms. He’s the surviving identical twin of Amie and Florio from our home town Torrumbarry.

Amie had a bleed at 24 weeks and was flown to Melbourne. Unable to stop labour, she underwent emergency c-section and gave birth to their tiny boys at 25 weeks in the Mercy hospital for women on May 25th 2022.  Due date was Sept 7th.

A rough start to life, there were times we didn’t think Frank was going to make it, but with the miraculous NICU nursing care and with every ounce of his little body he kept fighting.
Luka at 746g was transported from the Mercy to the RCH for special care. The team at the Children’s did everything they could to save our precious little man but Sadly after 8 days, due to  brain bleeds and a bowel perforation on June 2nd we had to say goodbye to Luka. The team then organised for us to carry Luka back to the Mercy to spend some time with his family, Amie and Florio and their older sister Tori, who had rushed down that morning, and with the help of the nurses, managed to quickly get through all the Covid restrictions to be with her family.

We will be forever grateful to the amazing Medical team that showed so much compassion towards us all. The love and support we received from the Children’s Hospital after the passing of Luka was unforgettable. We had follow up phone calls from them for months afterwards.

He developed Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) which is caused from the oxygen needed to keep him alive. To treat the ROP he needed to be transferred to the Children’s to have laser on his eyes but being so frail, he was not strong enough to be transferred, they brought their team to the Mercy to inject both eyes to delay the development of ROP. When Frank was strong enough he was then later transferred to the Children’s for surgery.

At 5 months before coming home Frank underwent 2 more procedures at the RCH. A bilateral inguinal hernia repair and laser to repair the ROP in both eyes. Feeling a little unsure if Frank was ready to be transferred back to the Mercy after his surgeries, Luka’s paediatrician came in to see us. Knowing our journey and how anxious we were as parents she reassured us that everything was ok. Frank was doing a lot better than expected, this was the reassurance that we needed. Ruth you are an amazing paediatrician with a huge heart. The effort they made to make us feel comfortable was beautiful and unforgettable.

Frank required portable oxygen at home until he was 8 months old. Regular checks ups with the pulmonologist (respiratory specialist) at the children’s to make sure his breathing was ok then to come off oxygen. He still has chronic lung issues from being so premature.

We’ve had many stays at the children’s with Frank during the cooler months due to pneumonia, and other illnesses to keep an eye on his lungs and breathing but he hasn’t required oxygen since coming off it which is huge.

Frank was fed through a nasal gastric tube during his 150 days in NICU/at the Mercy. He continued with nasal gastric tube feeds. He developed oral aversion, refusing to take anything via mouth.  Several trips had to be made to the closest hospitals available to re insert his tube as he loved pulling it out. The nasal gastric tube was finally removed, by Frank, so at 18 months we chose to persevere with formula and puree food.

It has been a continuous battle due to the aversion and illnesses to get enough food into him at times. A lot of positive reinforcement and patience (iPad & bribing haha)

Regular eye checkups at the Children’s to make sure his eyes are tracking along ok. They are but he now has glasses which will help mend his vision and he may not need them forever.
We see the respiratory clinic and an ENT at the children's still.

The Cohuna and Echuca doctors and nurses have been an amazing support with constant calls, visits and reassurance. They liaise with RCH to keep all care and treatment up to date.

We have an amazing allied health team (OT, physio and speech) in Echuca that we see fortnightly to make sure he’s still tracking along ok.

Last year Frank also underwent another two more procedures at the RCH. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy with an orchiopexy (both testicles were stuck in the scaring from his hernia repair and were brought down) a trip back to emergency and numerous calls to the ward to make sure everything was ok. It was a rough 2 weeks but they were more than happy to answer our questions and support us through it.

Frank has started kinder this year and is loving it. Although we're not very consistent due to illness we try our hardest to get there when we can. He's immune system is getting stronger!

We’ve needed the RCH numerous times and are beyond grateful for what they have done for us. The support they’ve offered us and continue to offer us through Frank’s journey. RCH, along with our local medical teams at home have helped him develop into the strong, happy, cheeky boy that he is today.
It’s not until you need the hospital that you realise just how extremely fortunate we are. The RCH is one the world’s finest.

Please donate to this amazing hospital that continues to save children’s lives.

- Amie (Frank & Luka's Mum) x

Our community is a generous one and we have a wonderful history of supporting sick kids who need the world class care of The Royal Children's Hospital. Our efforts will also support regional health services, with $3 Million being distributed to help keep sick kids closer to home to receive the care they need. Please give generously, and help reach our Town's fundraising target. Let's do something GOOD for the kids.