If you are ever going to read any blog post of mine, this is the one to take right in:

Taken from certain posts of Kylee’s blog “Veronika Anne“:

When Kylee was around 36 weeks pregnant with Veronika she was told her unborn child had had a massive bleed in her brain. Later they were told that it should of killed her, as she basically had the worse grade stroke a person can have … and she had it before she was born!  At birth Veronika was also diagnosed with Downs Syndrome and a congenital heart defect (with a hole in the heart – which is now shrinking!). Just before she had her 1st Birthday she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy(CP). Veronika also has hemiplegia, which affects her movement down the left side of her body.

These next 2 paragraphs are a direct quote from post Kylee made on her blog in February.

When your baby is 1 week old, and she has her 1st MRI and the results aren’t what you thought you would ever hear, let alone something you never want to hear……”Veronika has an injury to her brain from the bleed she had before she was born, and we believe that it will affect her movement down the left side of her body, and she will most likely never walk”….

I guess at that point in you make a decision, one of two possible options I guess. You either think ‘oh well, if that’s how its gonna be, why bother,’ OR ‘Yes she will walk, and we will come back in when she does and say I TOLD YOU SO’.

Kind of grabs your heart doesn’t it? I know personally, with having my own children, that any kind of minor problem (like our 3 year old’s recent fractured leg) sends a parent into defense mode. And that’s just something tiny, imagine having a child that needs sooo much more. What wouldn’t we do for our kids? Imagine feeling so overwhelmed that what you need to do for your child is impossible? Well, Kylee felt that – but in this crazy wonderful world we live in, she has realised that we don’t have to deal with things alone.

She has gathered her strength and will power, focussed on her hopes and dreams for her precious daughter and with the help of some amazing people, is putting together two amazing Gala’s to make it so “Veronika Will Walk” !! And that’s soooo exciting I can barely contain myself. Their basic goal: “We are raising money to help Veronika defy doctors and learn to walk, She needs a hydro therapy spa at home to do this.”

For this incredible endeavour to succeed, they need YOUR help. Go to that link up there (the one that says “Veronika Will Walk” ) and if you live in Hobart area purchase tickets for one or both of the galas! If you don’t live in Hobart area, fear not, there is a donate button on the facebook page.

If you happen to go to the gala, say “Hi” if you spot me – I’ll be the one with the camera permanently attached, documenting the events as a part of my Fears into Fun Project. Also, for all you bargain hunters, I have 2 “Digital Collections” up for grabs at the adult gala auction, both worth $500 each!! See if you can go in and get them at a much cheaper rate and also help Veronika in the process - WIN WIN!

And now without further ado, I’d like to wish Veronika a very Happy 3rd Birthday … and yes, she has many a health problem (some more of which aren’t even mentioned in this post) but none of those things define her. All you have to do is just look into her sparkling eyes, her heart right there on her sleeve, and feel the warmth of her gorgeous melt your heart smile! What a divine princess and I imagine the sunshine of her family’s life.