By Peter Douglas and Lia Spencer
MOUNT Evelyn mother Kat Crinis’s world turned upside down this month after her newborn son, Elijah, was diagnosed with a congenital heart failure.
During her pregnancy, Ms Crinis had been enjoying a close bond with her sister, Jackie Trewhella, who was also pregnant.
Everything looked to be tracking nicely for Ms Crinis after a normal scan at 20 weeks and then enjoying a relatively normal birth.
However, according to Ms Crinis’s sister, things didn’t seem right after Elijah was born.
“He wasn’t feeding well, he was breathing fast and he was generally unsettled,” Ms Trewhella said.
“They got discharged from hospital, but at the first midwife appointment they noticed Elijah’s breath-rate and they went back to hospital.
“He was transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital and is in the intensive care unit.”
Doctors later told the family that Elija has three congenital heart defects.
He has undergone one open-heart operation and will have another within nine months.
Doctors expect that Elijah will have about three operations within the next three years and he is not expected to leave hospital for at least another six months.
While Jackie is 40 weeks pregnant, that hasn’t stopped her from wanting to help.
She created a gofundme webpage to help raise funds for Ms Crinis and her husband to help cover lost wages, the commute from their home and the hospital parking, which is about $36 per day.
Ms Trewhella said the support from friends, families and strangers has been overwhelming.
“Gofundme wants you to put down a goal when you set up an account, I made a $1000 goal thinking that was a bit presumptuous,” Jackie said.
But, as of this morning, the figure has reached an incredible $13,180, which has been raised by 148 people in just seven days.
Anyone who wants to donate can do so at http://m.gofund.me/zeubpw.
