To me, each year, Mothers Day means a day of being spoilt rotten. Breakfast in bed, cute gifts from the kids, lots of cuddles and laughs and the most relaxing day on my calendar by far – no housework and no cooking! Perfect.
But this year, as the day gets closer and closer, I can’t help thinking about what Mothers Day is going to be like for some of the mums of the children that we help and I’ve got to say, that thought is really sobering.
Take Belinda’s mum for example. She’s a widow. Belinda has high dependency needs which don’t take a break because it Mothers Day. In their household there will be no breakfast in bed, no cute hand-made gifts from the kids and definately no break from the struggle that is everyday life… It’s the same story for many of our mums.
The separation/divorce rate among families with seriously ill or seriously disabled children hovers at close to 90%. So mum is left to care for the child largely on her own, on a carers pension that is quite simply not sufficient to cover basic needs let alone specialist aids and equipment.
Let’s look at Jade’s situation. Jade’s mum is battling to raise her four children on her own now – and two of the four have significant disabilities. A rest on Mothers Day? There’s just no such thing. Thinking about this has got me all fired up to make sure that we can at least deliver some good news for these, and other, mums in time for Mothers Day – just to put a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnels for them.
Today, I’m setting a goal; for me and for everyone that reads this article. We’re going to finish off Jade, Belinda and Zac’s Appeals in time for Mothers Day. I’d like to think that we could finish Harry’s too but the reality is that we’re not going to raise enough for a car in less than two weeks, no matter how hard we try. But the other three are in reach and, with your help, we can make life just that little bit brighter for three very special mums – will you help me?
For Belinda we need $2,815. For Jade we need $7,830. For Zac we need $2,968. That’s a total of $13,613. In 13 days. To make this happen I need you to give a couple of bucks and then to spread the word. PLEASE. Send a link to this page to everyone in your contact book and post it one your Facebook page. We all take the time to send on jokes, let’s take the time to pass on a message that really deserves to be heard – the message that together we can make a difference for three really special mums. I for one will enjoy my Mothers Day so much more knowing that I’d reached out to three mums that I’d never met but who deserved to feel the love on Mothers Day just as much as I did. Barb Blashki – Founder