Your stories

It was during an ultrasound at 18 weeks gestation that the parents of 17-year-old Kuraby triplet, Mark, found out he had a neural tube defect, where the foetal spinal column doesn’t close completely. His parents were told they should enjoy the short time they would have with him, but Mark was a fighter from the very beginning.

When Chelsy was just 17-months-old, her mum, Nicole, had some concerns regarding Chelsy’s development – particularly with the way her ribs were forming. Two months later, she was diagnosed with a very rare genetic condition.

Four-year-old Sophie, of Jindalee, was playing with her cousin at home when she came out of the playroom holding her leg and then suddenly collapsed. Her mum Amanda, whose parents both worked in healthcare, recognised the signs of a stroke and immediately called 000.

Genevieve was born with the rare genetic disease alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD), an incurable condition which limits the body’s production of a protein that protects the lungs and liver from damage.

Mason, of Hervey Bay, is the true definition of a ‘little fighter’. Within 24 hours of he and his twin sister Chloe being born 10-weeks prematurely, Mason was diagnosed with a serious bowel defect and sent for surgery to have a colostomy bag put in.

Jarvis was diagnosed with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva at the age of two. It’s a rare genetic disease that causes bone to grow over tendons, ligaments and muscles severely limiting mobility.