On Monday the 12th of October 2020, my sister, Khodi, decided to go into the hospital to have her baby checked, as she had noticed he wasn’t as active as normal. Later that day, she was taken to Bendigo Health to have an emergency caesarean. 8.40pm baby Quinn Oliver Cochrane was born, and the room fell silent. You see, even though Khodi had received antenatal care, including multiple ultrasounds throughout, they were completely unaware that their sweet baby boy was so unwell. Baby Quinn was born with a condition called Gastroschisis. Gastroschisis is a birth defect that develops during pregnancy. This condition occurs when the baby's abdominal wall does not form completely. This allows the intestines and other organs to extend outside of the body, usually to the right side of belly button. It is rare, with only 1 in 5000 babies being born with it annually. There is no known cause at this time. Usually it is discovered during ultrasound, and baby Quinn’s was not. It is only sheer luck that he was born in a bigger hospital than planned, and they were able to manage his condition whilst awaiting for the team to arrive to fly him to the Royal Children’s Hospital, where he will remain for an unknown duration of time, but at a minimum of 4 weeks. At not even 24 hours old, baby Quinn had to undergo his first of many surgeries to help correct the defect. At this time while she recovers from her surgery, Khodi is 2 hours away from her newborn son, whilst Brodie is by his side at the RCH. Due to covid-19 restrictions, they’re going to have to go through this journey on their own, as visitors are not allowed, and they cannot leave the hospital. Which brings me to why I’ve set up this fundraiser. I have never felt so helpless in my life. You never expect to fall pregnant for the first time during a pandemic, and to then give birth to a very unwell child. Due to the fact that they were unaware of Quinn’s condition, they have not being able to prepare for the next part of their journey emotionally, or financially. They’re going to have expenses while they’re away as well as their day to day bills back home. They cannot rely on staying with family or friends, or for any other additional help due to covid-19 restrictions. If they leave the area they cannot come back in to the hospital. Both of them work, thus, while they will receive some maternity and paternal leave, it is simply not enough to help them get through this tough time. I know many of you have asked how you can help, please consider donating to help ease the financial burden so that they can focus on their sweet boy and everything they have ahead of them without the stress of money. Thank you, Emma