Olivia's Eczema Journey
Donation protected
Help Our Little Girl Access Life-Changing Treatment
We are seeking your support to help our beautiful daughter experience a normal childhood, one that doesn’t involve daily steroid use, constant sleep deprivation and frequent infections. A childhood where she can play outside and attend school like other children.
Having lived with the nightmare of severe eczema and food allergies since she was just a few weeks old, Olivia is now three and we are desperate to raise $60,000 to enable her to receive treatment at the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre in France, a world-renowned medical centre that has had incredible success treating skin conditions such as hers.
Words cannot capture how overwhelmed and helpless we feel watching our daughter battle this devastating condition. Olivia has never slept through the night as she is constantly woken by the need to itch her skin. She sleeps next to us so that when we hear her scratch, we can hold her hands or feet until she stops. If we fail to wake during one of her scratching frenzies, we are often faced with blood-smeared sheets. When she is awake, she must be carefully monitored as it only takes a few moments of frenetic scratching to lead to open wounds and skin infections.
The past three or so years are a blur of medical appointments, constant infections and living in fear of anaphylactic reactions. We have removed foods from her diet, tried various creams, drops and potions, and spent tens of thousands of dollars in the futile search for anything that can relieve her itch. Last year we even relocated our young family 400km from Ipswich to Bundaberg in the desperate hope her skin would improve with regular access to the beach.
Despite short-lived moments of respite, the nightmare continues.
We survive on one teacher’s income as Olivia requires 24-hour care and supervision and we cannot access National Disability Insurance Scheme funding or carer’s payments or allowances. Social isolation is also a reality for all of us as we are often confined to our air-conditioned home as Olivia’s skin troubles are exacerbated by heat, dust mites (carpet) and grass. Needless to say, childcare centres are not an option and Olivia’s lack of exposure to children her own age is weighing heavily on us.
We cannot give up though and that is why we are making this plea for your support. We are long-term members of Eczema Support Australia and many of its members have received successful treatment at the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre in France, a medical centre dedicated to dermatology and the treatment of skin conditions such as Olivia’s eczema. We can only dream of the relief the centre has gifted them.
It is not a cheap exercise, with $60,000 needed to cover three years’ worth of hydrotherapy and medical treatment with leading experts, airfares (two adults and a child), accommodation, hire car and moisturisers. We have always ruled out Avène Hydrotherapy Centre due to the cost but we have decided to swallow our pride and turn to both our friends and strangers in our hour of need. We are simply desperate to help our daughter and will forever be grateful for any assistance you are able to offer.
Information Links
How Avène has helped other children
Avène website
Tax Deductible Receipt (option)
GoFundMe does not provide tax deductible receipts. Therefore, if you require a receipt, please donate through Eczema Support Australia instead of this page. Please follow the steps below.
1 . Go to Eczema Support Australia webpage www.eczemasupport.org.au
2. Click the green button DONATE
3. Choose PayPal or Credit Card
4. Immediately after donation has been submitted forward your receipt to [email redacted].au with your name and donation amount to ensure this goes to Olivia’s fund. 100% funds through Eczema Support Australia’s Giving Fund will go to Olivia (no transaction fees).
Feel free to contact if you have any questions.
We appreciate your support!
Craig, Jill, Caitlin and Olivia
We are seeking your support to help our beautiful daughter experience a normal childhood, one that doesn’t involve daily steroid use, constant sleep deprivation and frequent infections. A childhood where she can play outside and attend school like other children.
Having lived with the nightmare of severe eczema and food allergies since she was just a few weeks old, Olivia is now three and we are desperate to raise $60,000 to enable her to receive treatment at the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre in France, a world-renowned medical centre that has had incredible success treating skin conditions such as hers.
Words cannot capture how overwhelmed and helpless we feel watching our daughter battle this devastating condition. Olivia has never slept through the night as she is constantly woken by the need to itch her skin. She sleeps next to us so that when we hear her scratch, we can hold her hands or feet until she stops. If we fail to wake during one of her scratching frenzies, we are often faced with blood-smeared sheets. When she is awake, she must be carefully monitored as it only takes a few moments of frenetic scratching to lead to open wounds and skin infections.
The past three or so years are a blur of medical appointments, constant infections and living in fear of anaphylactic reactions. We have removed foods from her diet, tried various creams, drops and potions, and spent tens of thousands of dollars in the futile search for anything that can relieve her itch. Last year we even relocated our young family 400km from Ipswich to Bundaberg in the desperate hope her skin would improve with regular access to the beach.
Despite short-lived moments of respite, the nightmare continues.
We survive on one teacher’s income as Olivia requires 24-hour care and supervision and we cannot access National Disability Insurance Scheme funding or carer’s payments or allowances. Social isolation is also a reality for all of us as we are often confined to our air-conditioned home as Olivia’s skin troubles are exacerbated by heat, dust mites (carpet) and grass. Needless to say, childcare centres are not an option and Olivia’s lack of exposure to children her own age is weighing heavily on us.
We cannot give up though and that is why we are making this plea for your support. We are long-term members of Eczema Support Australia and many of its members have received successful treatment at the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre in France, a medical centre dedicated to dermatology and the treatment of skin conditions such as Olivia’s eczema. We can only dream of the relief the centre has gifted them.
It is not a cheap exercise, with $60,000 needed to cover three years’ worth of hydrotherapy and medical treatment with leading experts, airfares (two adults and a child), accommodation, hire car and moisturisers. We have always ruled out Avène Hydrotherapy Centre due to the cost but we have decided to swallow our pride and turn to both our friends and strangers in our hour of need. We are simply desperate to help our daughter and will forever be grateful for any assistance you are able to offer.
Information Links
How Avène has helped other children
Avène website
Tax Deductible Receipt (option)
GoFundMe does not provide tax deductible receipts. Therefore, if you require a receipt, please donate through Eczema Support Australia instead of this page. Please follow the steps below.
1 . Go to Eczema Support Australia webpage www.eczemasupport.org.au
2. Click the green button DONATE
3. Choose PayPal or Credit Card
4. Immediately after donation has been submitted forward your receipt to [email redacted].au with your name and donation amount to ensure this goes to Olivia’s fund. 100% funds through Eczema Support Australia’s Giving Fund will go to Olivia (no transaction fees).
Feel free to contact if you have any questions.
We appreciate your support!
Craig, Jill, Caitlin and Olivia
Fundraising team (2)
Craig Sologinkin
Organizer
Winfield, QLD
Jill Harrison
Team member