SUPPORT LITTLE ZEKIE AND HIS BEAUTIFUL FAMILY
Donation protected
There are some events that literally carve our lives in two….the before and the after. That kind of event happened to the Kesby family on a Friday evening a few weeks ago, and your support could make such a difference in the year ahead…
To set the scene….
Sabrina and Joss were excited to welcome home their little four year old boy Ezekiel from a fun filled week he’d had up the coast with his grandparents. Summer holidays are always the best. His big brother Lorenzo (6yo) wasn’t due to return home for a few days, so Zekie was set to have a few days of being totally spoiled with one on one time with mum and dad. Sabrina was in the office on the Friday afternoon telling her colleagues how excited she was to see her baby in a few hours....And within a few hours she did see her little boy… but he had a strange shudder in one eye. His uncle, a Newcastle GP, quickly recognised this as potentially dangerous, so off to the hospital they went.
It was a weekend all parents would call a worst nightmare. An ophthalmologist was able to identify a pale nerve behind one eye, which he said required an MRI. The MRI was booked for the following day, and confirmed Sabrina and Joss’ worst fears – there was a tumour, and it was large. It was certainly the reason for the pale nerve.
While Zeike was being examined, and pushed from one appointment to another, he had no symptoms….He had been playful, happy, and energetic. Only once could the family recall him complaining of a ‘sore head’….So there were no signs of an ongoing headache. It was an almost unbelievable story….but the scans showed so clearly a large mass on his frontal lobe.
The surgery….
Surgery was the only way to determine the type of tumour, so on 17/1/19 Zekie went to theatre to have the brain tumour removed. Everything else in the world of Sabrina and Joss stopped while they waited and waited for news of their little boy. 5.5 hours in surgery. The surgeon was able to offer the good and the bad news. The tumour was a low grade, slow growing Pilocytic Astrocytoma. But it was in such a place in Zekie’s brain that they could only remove part of it, or his vision was at risk of being permanently damaged.
Zekie’s surgery went well, however the 2 days following the swelling was so significant that he couldn’t open his eyes. He was terrified, and really doesn’t understand why this is being done to him. No parent should have to watch that scene unfold.
Next steps…
Just a couple of weeks post-surgery Zekie is recovering to the point where he can commence the next phase of treatment to shrink the remainder of the tumour - one year of chemotherapy. This next phase resulted in Sabrina today resigning from her new role in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle. Between chemotherapy sessions and recovery days, there is just no way she can continue in the role. And Zekie’s immune system will be so fragile that he won’t be able to go to Day Care.
How you can help
So I’m asking you, as Sabrina’s manager up until this morning, to offer any small donation to support the next steps in Zekie’s journey. Any amount will make a difference, and lift the additional financial burden that is now resting on the family. The money will not only go toward medical bills, but on anything that will make the family feel some joy in their world. Zekie for one deserves to have the year ahead magically transformed into a year of adventure, where his courage is rewarded.
To set the scene….
Sabrina and Joss were excited to welcome home their little four year old boy Ezekiel from a fun filled week he’d had up the coast with his grandparents. Summer holidays are always the best. His big brother Lorenzo (6yo) wasn’t due to return home for a few days, so Zekie was set to have a few days of being totally spoiled with one on one time with mum and dad. Sabrina was in the office on the Friday afternoon telling her colleagues how excited she was to see her baby in a few hours....And within a few hours she did see her little boy… but he had a strange shudder in one eye. His uncle, a Newcastle GP, quickly recognised this as potentially dangerous, so off to the hospital they went.
It was a weekend all parents would call a worst nightmare. An ophthalmologist was able to identify a pale nerve behind one eye, which he said required an MRI. The MRI was booked for the following day, and confirmed Sabrina and Joss’ worst fears – there was a tumour, and it was large. It was certainly the reason for the pale nerve.
While Zeike was being examined, and pushed from one appointment to another, he had no symptoms….He had been playful, happy, and energetic. Only once could the family recall him complaining of a ‘sore head’….So there were no signs of an ongoing headache. It was an almost unbelievable story….but the scans showed so clearly a large mass on his frontal lobe.
The surgery….
Surgery was the only way to determine the type of tumour, so on 17/1/19 Zekie went to theatre to have the brain tumour removed. Everything else in the world of Sabrina and Joss stopped while they waited and waited for news of their little boy. 5.5 hours in surgery. The surgeon was able to offer the good and the bad news. The tumour was a low grade, slow growing Pilocytic Astrocytoma. But it was in such a place in Zekie’s brain that they could only remove part of it, or his vision was at risk of being permanently damaged.
Zekie’s surgery went well, however the 2 days following the swelling was so significant that he couldn’t open his eyes. He was terrified, and really doesn’t understand why this is being done to him. No parent should have to watch that scene unfold.
Next steps…Just a couple of weeks post-surgery Zekie is recovering to the point where he can commence the next phase of treatment to shrink the remainder of the tumour - one year of chemotherapy. This next phase resulted in Sabrina today resigning from her new role in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle. Between chemotherapy sessions and recovery days, there is just no way she can continue in the role. And Zekie’s immune system will be so fragile that he won’t be able to go to Day Care.
How you can help
So I’m asking you, as Sabrina’s manager up until this morning, to offer any small donation to support the next steps in Zekie’s journey. Any amount will make a difference, and lift the additional financial burden that is now resting on the family. The money will not only go toward medical bills, but on anything that will make the family feel some joy in their world. Zekie for one deserves to have the year ahead magically transformed into a year of adventure, where his courage is rewarded.
Sabrina is such a humble human that I’ve had to almost beg her for permission to set up this page….But she has reluctantly agreed. She feels that there are so many families in worse situations than hers, but I know I want to help the Kesby’s in any way I can, so I’m sure many more of her friends and colleagues feel the same….
Thanks so much.
Thanks so much.
Organizer and beneficiary
TJ Elley
Organizer
Bar Beach NSW
Sabrina Kesby
Beneficiary
