1
00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,680
Speaker 1: SITSI and with Her with Kate Richie podcast.

2
00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:04,280
Speaker 2: Well, if you want to hear a story about a

3
00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:05,960
Speaker 2: little true but I have a listened to the story

4
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,400
Speaker 2: of Colby Malone. He's six years of age and this

5
00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,240
Speaker 2: kid has undergone sixty full surgery since birth.

6
00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:13,560
Speaker 1: God.

7
00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,720
Speaker 2: Now, this is due to an acquiet brain injury, cerebral palsy,

8
00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:21,120
Speaker 2: non cystic fibrosis, he's got chronic lung disease.

9
00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:25,040
Speaker 1: And there's a few other conditions as well. Oh my gosh, I.

10
00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:26,480
Speaker 3: Can't a lot going on.

11
00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,360
Speaker 1: We're looking at photos of him here, this little life.

12
00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,360
Speaker 2: Ah, the scars that he has on his head, his stomach,

13
00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,320
Speaker 2: and you know what, he loves his footy, he loves

14
00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,599
Speaker 2: the Sydney Swans, he loves the Cronulla Sharks. He's got

15
00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,920
Speaker 2: a beautiful family, but his mum, Helen now is a

16
00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,800
Speaker 2: full time care We. Oh, you know, you just want

17
00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:45,279
Speaker 2: to talk to the family and say that we've got

18
00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:46,960
Speaker 2: your back. Can we give Helen a call? Can we

19
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:47,720
Speaker 2: get her involved?

20
00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:52,519
Speaker 1: Helen?

21
00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:53,040
Speaker 4: Hi?

22
00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:54,080
Speaker 5: How's it going.

23
00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:01,040
Speaker 1: Is that little Colby? Hey? How are you Kate?

24
00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,280
Speaker 5: It used to be on Home and Away and believe

25
00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:04,520
Speaker 5: it or.

26
00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,600
Speaker 6: Not, Colby, can you get your head around this FITZI

27
00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,000
Speaker 6: used to play for the Sydney Swans.

28
00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,200
Speaker 1: But I wasn't a very good player, Colby.

29
00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:18,200
Speaker 2: Who's your favorite player for the Sydney Swans, Chaddy Warner.

30
00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,480
Speaker 1: He's a gun, isn't he? He is such a hard

31
00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,840
Speaker 1: nus a weapon. I tell you what you know. Who

32
00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,440
Speaker 1: else is a hard nut Colby is yourself? Mum. Helen,

33
00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:29,040
Speaker 1: what an unbelievable story.

34
00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,160
Speaker 2: I mean, the past six years for you obviously the

35
00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,360
Speaker 2: joy of having this little man in your life.

36
00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:37,240
Speaker 1: But it must be hard, Helen.

37
00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,160
Speaker 2: How hard has it been for the family over the

38
00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:40,240
Speaker 2: past six years.

39
00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,839
Speaker 4: Yeah, the last six years has been up and down,

40
00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,520
Speaker 4: some moments worse than others, especially when he was born

41
00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:49,200
Speaker 4: because he was only twenty three weeks so that was

42
00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,200
Speaker 4: a rough, rough start and then it just kind of

43
00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:53,080
Speaker 4: got worse from there.

44
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:57,280
Speaker 6: So Helen, listening to the challenge, reading about the challenges

45
00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:01,280
Speaker 6: that Colby has and the operation that he had on

46
00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,600
Speaker 6: his brain early, was that where a mistake was made

47
00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:04,720
Speaker 6: and damage was done.

48
00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:06,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, so it.

49
00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,079
Speaker 4: He's had sixty five operations all up, but the where

50
00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,520
Speaker 4: the damage started to kick him was his first brain operation.

51
00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,280
Speaker 4: So he was tracking fine as a nicky baby, and

52
00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:20,760
Speaker 4: even as a normal like meeting milestones at twelve months,

53
00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,359
Speaker 4: he was cruising around furniture, so even for a premier,

54
00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,840
Speaker 4: he was meeting those milestones right. And they saw that

55
00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:27,800
Speaker 4: he had extra fluid in his brain, which we already

56
00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,480
Speaker 4: knew that he was tracking fine, so they decided to

57
00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,519
Speaker 4: take some of that fluid, and when they did take

58
00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,359
Speaker 4: some that he became quite unstable.

59
00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:39,240
Speaker 5: So they thought he was more unstable than originally.

60
00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,760
Speaker 4: Thought, so they took some more, and then they kept

61
00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:43,639
Speaker 4: taking more to the point where they took pretty much

62
00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:45,400
Speaker 4: all of his brain fullod and caused brain bleeds.

63
00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:47,440
Speaker 1: Oh my god, but that.

64
00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,240
Speaker 4: Didn't just happen once. It happened six times over twelve

65
00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:50,919
Speaker 4: month period.

66
00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:53,359
Speaker 3: What I can see just from talking to you over

67
00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,720
Speaker 3: the last few minutes, you are an incredible woman, and

68
00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,959
Speaker 3: Kobe is incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful mummy

69
00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,000
Speaker 3: like this, because I mean, I know, I don't know

70
00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,480
Speaker 3: how you do it, because you know, I've been to

71
00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,040
Speaker 3: the hospital with my children and the children's hospitals but

72
00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,119
Speaker 3: for only very minor things, and I have to say,

73
00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,840
Speaker 3: I walk out of their feelings so incredibly grateful. I

74
00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,200
Speaker 3: don't know how you continue to back it up, you know,

75
00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,040
Speaker 3: because it's not an easy place to be. I really

76
00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:21,919
Speaker 3: just want to give you some credit because I know

77
00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:25,679
Speaker 3: we're speaking about Colby today, But yeah, it's tough for

78
00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:27,080
Speaker 3: mum and it's tough for dad.

79
00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:28,639
Speaker 1: What kind of support do you have?

80
00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,480
Speaker 5: So literally just have me and my partner Duyanne.

81
00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,200
Speaker 4: So I lost both my parents quite young, so I

82
00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,280
Speaker 4: don't have my family's support.

83
00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,720
Speaker 6: And we also heard that things got so bad with

84
00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,800
Speaker 6: Colby that you decided to actually leave the Queensland hospital

85
00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,200
Speaker 6: and travel down here for some better treatment options.

86
00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:46,680
Speaker 1: Is that right?

87
00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:48,840
Speaker 5: Yeah, we wanted was the second opinion.

88
00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:49,680
Speaker 1: All we wanted.

89
00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:51,880
Speaker 5: To come And.

90
00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, you have to live with all the decisions you make.

91
00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, he struggles with travel as well, doesn't he, Helen,

92
00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,640
Speaker 2: Because there was a lot of pressure on his when

93
00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:01,080
Speaker 2: he traveled.

94
00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,240
Speaker 4: So there still is up and down with pressures and

95
00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:06,960
Speaker 4: low pressures. But when we fly, when you go up,

96
00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:08,880
Speaker 4: the pressures in your brain go up. So that is

97
00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,000
Speaker 4: a dangerous for Colby, especially after surgery six weeks you

98
00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,360
Speaker 4: can't fly after or Yeah, so that that was a risk.

99
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:17,440
Speaker 4: And the last time when we left in May, the

100
00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,640
Speaker 4: hospital told us that he had a headache inn Centrus home.

101
00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,080
Speaker 4: So we literally had to go on a flight and

102
00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,600
Speaker 4: it was through virgin and you had a season airport.

103
00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:26,120
Speaker 5: But we had to kind of downplay because we knew

104
00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:27,080
Speaker 5: we had to get to Sydney.

105
00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:27,760
Speaker 1: Wow.

106
00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:29,440
Speaker 4: And once we got down here, he was put on

107
00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:31,039
Speaker 4: the emergency list to have surgery.

108
00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,600
Speaker 2: What a story, Helen. You're your full time care now,

109
00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:38,400
Speaker 2: aren't you? And Dwaine can only really work part time

110
00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,640
Speaker 2: because he needs your help as well.

111
00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:43,680
Speaker 4: Yeah, because it's just very much sometimes with all the

112
00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,799
Speaker 4: appointments and on the phone, and now we're in the particament.

113
00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:49,159
Speaker 5: We've got a euro search down here, but we don't

114
00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:49,839
Speaker 5: have a piece.

115
00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:52,240
Speaker 4: We don't have He's got thirteen other specialists as well,

116
00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:54,080
Speaker 4: and we've got none of that organized down here.

117
00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,840
Speaker 1: But you are you renting down at Miranda? Is that correct? Yeah?

118
00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,520
Speaker 4: So renting because well, we didn't have much time to

119
00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,520
Speaker 4: organize anything and with the financial crisis, it's just too

120
00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:04,680
Speaker 4: it's too hard.

121
00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:05,440
Speaker 1: Helen.

122
00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,560
Speaker 2: You are an absolute true but you've got an amazing

123
00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:09,440
Speaker 2: little sun there and I know you do anything for

124
00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:13,039
Speaker 2: him and you've got a long stretch ahead of you.

125
00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,000
Speaker 2: But Helen, we just want to say that We've got

126
00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,400
Speaker 2: your back, love, and we just want to give you

127
00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,039
Speaker 2: ten thousand dollars that will go towards the family to

128
00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:20,680
Speaker 2: help you out.

129
00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:28,240
Speaker 1: Thank you. What would that mean to you, Helen, Well, it.

130
00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,279
Speaker 4: Means that I don't have to go back to work

131
00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:32,719
Speaker 4: because we're at the point now where yeah, I was

132
00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:33,640
Speaker 4: going to have to go back.

133
00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,760
Speaker 5: We remember were relied for him someone else.

134
00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:42,000
Speaker 4: Yeah, with Colby, which we find very hard because he's

135
00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:43,599
Speaker 4: not able to go to school full time like a

136
00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:47,920
Speaker 4: normal kid. Yeah, And it means that, yeah, I can

137
00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,159
Speaker 4: focus more on getting Colby back his.

138
00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:55,960
Speaker 2: Potential financially, Helen, Like, how hard did it get to

139
00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:57,359
Speaker 2: even feeding the family?

140
00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,240
Speaker 1: Like, I mean, what does it got to?

141
00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:06,440
Speaker 4: Yeah, when we're staying at Ron McDonald, we've had times

142
00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,600
Speaker 4: or we've had to restrict back and pull back and

143
00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,839
Speaker 4: everything because it gets hard.

144
00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,240
Speaker 5: If it was just one month, that's fine. That we've

145
00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:14,359
Speaker 5: been doing for six years.

146
00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:15,640
Speaker 1: So each time it gets hard.

147
00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,440
Speaker 5: So you can take a month off and you just

148
00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:20,400
Speaker 5: sit cleeb or whatever.

149
00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,320
Speaker 4: But when you've got no sickly because it's ongoing with

150
00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:24,520
Speaker 4: the time, it's really hard.

151
00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,919
Speaker 2: You're an amazing You're an amazing woman. Can you please

152
00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,159
Speaker 2: send our best to Dwayne as well, because by the

153
00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,080
Speaker 2: Sunds that you guys are doing it by yourself at

154
00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,479
Speaker 2: the moment, and you have a beautiful little boy there

155
00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:39,200
Speaker 2: in Colby him and I'm well, and we're hoping and

156
00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:41,520
Speaker 2: praying that you get some better news with Colby coming

157
00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:43,040
Speaker 2: up in the next couple of years, and.

158
00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,240
Speaker 1: You know, you take him to the footy.

159
00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:48,120
Speaker 2: Still, these are creating these memories with him that he

160
00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,719
Speaker 2: will remember forever and you'll remember forever as well.

161
00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:58,920
Speaker 1: Colby. Who's your favorite? Cronella Sharks Payer. You are a.

162
00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,000
Speaker 2: Little legend, buddy, Helen, You are an absolute trooper. You

163
00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:05,159
Speaker 2: inspire a lot of mothers out there and parents as well.

164
00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,360
Speaker 2: And I know it's only a minor amount, but ten

165
00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:08,760
Speaker 2: thousand dollars we've got your back.

166
00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,520
Speaker 1: Love you keep doing what you're doing. You're an amazing woman.

167
00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,560
Speaker 1: Thank you, Yeah, well done, Thanks Helen, Sending all our love.

168
00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:18,520
Speaker 1: Ditzy and Weppa with Kate Ritchie is a Nova podcast.

169
00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,760
Speaker 1: For more great comedy shows like this, head to novapodcast

170
00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:22,760
Speaker 1: dot com. DoD areu