Georgie was born with multiple, critical health conditions including laryngomalacia and a heart condition.
At the time, the family was living in Kununurra but given the complexity of Georgie’s condition, they were advised by their local hospital to relocate to Perth as they were unable to meet Georgie’s complex medical needs.
The first ten months of Georgie’s life was spent as an inpatient at Perth Children’s Hospital. To help Georgie breathe, she underwent a tracheostomy procedure where she had a small tube inserted into her windpipe.
When Kiind’s Peer Navigation team met Georgie’s mum, Leah, she was physically and emotionally drained. With no family or connections in Perth, two other young, school-aged children to care for and a husband working FIFO, Leah was overwhelmed at the prospect of Georgie’s condition and high care needs.
Since 2019, Kiind’s Peer Navigators have got to know Leah and her family very well and have walked alongside them through what has been a difficult journey.
With the intention of ensuring that Leah was well supported, Kiind’s Peer Navigators were able to step in and offer a range of wrap-around support, including information and guidance to help Leah navigate the hospital, health and disability systems as well as peer support and vital connections to other families travelling a similar path. The team were also able to provide practical, local knowledge to support Leah’s other children, including help with finding schools and participation in the local community.
The team were able to check in on Leah and Georgie regularly with ward visits and provide individualised Pathway sessions to support various milestones and points of transition in Georgie’s progress. The team were especially thrilled to help Georgie celebrate her first birthday at the hospital!
At three years old Georgie had her tracheostomy removed, enabling the family to return to their home in Kununurra.
Leah remains a member of Kiind with access to Kiind Families Facebook Network where she can continue to connect with other families to share knowledge, insights, information and experiences as well as access Kiind’s information resources to help her manage various aspects of parenting a child with disability.
Through her ongoing membership, Leah is also able to check in with a Kiind Peer Navigator at any time for support and guidance at any age or stage of Georgie’s developmental journey.
