Keeping up with Cody

Help our family purchase a disability friendly car to accommodate all Cody’s special equipment needs.

We are the parents (Chris and Michelle) to an incredible little boy Cody who is 2.

Cody is the happiest little boy always with a smile on his face even through all his challenges.

With Cody’s Medical Complexities he requires a lot of specialised equipment and with his needs changing the list of equipment keeps growing and unfortunately our car is just too small to be able to accommodate all of his equipment needs.

We aren’t ones to ask for help and we do everything ourselves, however those who know us will know when we ask for help we are desperate for help. We are hoping to raise money to assist us to buy a new vehicle to accommodate all of Cody’s specialised equipment without having to struggle to play Tetris with the multiple pieces required and multiple bags each time we leave the house.

Having a new vehicle to accommodate all of Cody’s equipment which keeps growing will be life changing. Everywhere we go we take Cody’s walker and specialised stroller. Without his walker Cody is not able to walk or stand independently and without the specialised stroller he would have nothing to sit in whilst out that keeps his body in good alignment. If Cody’s not in any of his equipment he is being carried by us.

We would be so incredibly grateful if your able to donate to assist with purchasing an accessible car for Cody which in time can be modified to suit Cody’s needs as he grows.

We appreciate any donation no matter how small, as every dollar counts and your support means more then you know.

Below is a brief overview of Cody’s story so far.

It was discovered at our 12 week scan Cody had higher fluid behind his neck and on his brain.

After this we had weekly appointments at the hospital to check in. He was found to have 'bilateral intracranial bleed' and 'cerebral ventriculomegaly' on an antenatal scan throughout the pregnancy and we were told that the future was unknown and what it would look like for Cody. He also has Bilateral superior vena cava and Partial Corpus Callosum.

Cody was born at 38 weeks by Emergency C-Section and was in breech for a number of weeks and has a larger head.

Cody was also found later on to have chromosomal abnormalities, specified below.

Terminal Deletion in chromosome 5q35.3 - 2.3 Mb

Terminal duplication from chromosome region 17p13.3p12.2 - 14.1 Mb

We were told when Cody was 3 months old that he would probably never walk or talk.

We attended Physio and feeding appointments at the hospital from when Cody was just 3 months old. We started to try feeding Cody solids at 4.5 months old with the help of the medical professionals as there was fears he might not be able to swallow solids. We have been trying to feed Cody solids ever since and he was having a quarter of a pouch once a day for 6 weeks in December 2023, before deciding he again wouldn’t open his mouth for solids. We have been to countless Dietician/Paediatrician/Maternal Health and GP appointments in relation to his feeding with weekly Dietician appointments still with no change. Cody was being breastfeed 8-10 times a day up until August 2024, after an 8.5 month long battle with the hospital to get a nasogastric tube to help Cody with his nutrition and weight due to still not eating solids at all and only having breast milk.

Cody recently had a procedure for a PEG and is now tube feed via a pump 4 times a day and breastfeed twice. We play and try to build Cody’s confidence everyday with food and are aware Cody may not ever eat orally.

In January 2024 Cody was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy after we were told he was borderline Cerebral Palsy for 6 months. Cody also has severe scoliosis.

We have been attending weekly Physio Therapy, Feeding Therapy and OT since Cody was 8 months old. A few months back we also started Communication Therapy to help Cody with his communication skills. We have learnt some basic sign for Cody, which he understands and sometimes communicates in basic sign back with “More” or “Something different”.

Along with all the weekly therapy appointments, we also attend medical appointments.

Everyday is a challenge and we don’t know what the future holds. However we stay positive and keep smiling.

Cody has given us strength we never knew existed.

Everyday we are always at the ready to go to hospital.

In his short life he has gone through more hospital visits and allied health professional appointments than most people would see in a lifetime. Cody's diagnosis is life long and there are still so many unknowns but he takes on everyday with a smile on his face and every bit of strength he's got in this roller-coaster of a world and we are so proud of him!

19/12/2024 - We are overwhelmed by the support we have received with our fundraiser since it went live 24hrs ago.

To everyone who has donated so far, THANK YOU! Truly we can’t thank you enough ❤️

Thank you to everyone who has shared our post to spread the word.