Dubbo mother Dayna Tierney asked Country Hope to help the family of Mitchell Ray, having been a recipient of the charity's care and generosity when her six-month-old daughter was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia.
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Country Hope, based in Wagga Wagga and aiding families dealing with child cancer and life-threatening illness in the Riverina, subsequently provided financial and emotional support to the Ray family who lost Mitchell in December 2020.
This week Ms Tierney joined Country Hope general manager (GM) Ellie Webb and events manager Mick Small in Dubbo where the charity is trying to form a fundraising committee and find sponsors in order to address growing demand for its services from families here.
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It's about 13 years since Ms Tierney and daughter Miliana were airlifted to Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick, after the family learned she had a five per cent chance of surviving acute myelomonocytic leukemia.
"Our journey took about 12 months resulting in a bone marrow transplant," Ms Tierney said.
"We were very fortunate that our then four-year-old boy Benjamin was a perfect donor for Mili."
The family's then home town of West Wyalong swung behind it and so did Country Hope.
Emotions bubbled over on Tuesday as Ms Tierney and Mrs Webb looked back on her visits to the family at the end of a "harrowing" journey.
"..you would come out and see me and have a cup of tea and give me permission to talk about my journey," the grateful mother told the GM.
"Sometimes people come home from hospital and they are quite forgotten in some regards.
"People want to respect their privacy and they don't know what to say.
"Having that Country Hope representative.. making sure that they are still financially okay, they are still emotionally okay, and finding out what else they can do, is so important."
Mrs Webb and Mr Small planned to drop off a hamper to the Ray family during their visit to Dubbo.
The charity relies on fundraising, bequests, donations and the occasional government grant.
Call 1800 007 880 or go to www.countryhope.com.au or the charity's Facebook page to make an inquiry or to donate.
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