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In May 2021, Jade and Ed from Geelong in Australia delivered their baby girls – Imogen and Maisie.
Only weeks before, they had been diagnosed with Twin Anemia Polycythemia Sequence (TAPS), because Jade was receiving routine screening through a private clinic, simply because the facilities were not available through the hospital locally – a problem that is all too common in regional Australia, and is no fault of the hospital.
(Jade also contacted TAPS Support for information and peer support.)
Location Challenges for Fetal Screening
Many families located in regional centers have to travel more than an hour to see specialists and get the vital screening they need. The distance can put a financial and mental strain on these families, especially when the screening is needed frequently in the case of twins sharing a placenta. Fuel, accommodation, food – all these things add up and often take parents away from older children as well. But equipment is expensive, and regional centers do not always have the funds to purchase the specialized equipment to soften the burden on these families.
The Wish Upon A Star Campaign
This Christmas, Jade has given her story to the Barwon Health Foundation’s Christmas Appeal and Imogen and Maisie are the faces of their annual “Wish Upon A Star” campaign. Their goal is to raise $250,000 to fund a fetal ultrasound monitor to reduce the need for families with complicated pregnancies to be referred to Melbourne.
This struck a chord with Stephanie from TAPS Support deeply. Growing up in Central Queensland, the limitations of rural Australia in relation to specialist care is something she’s all too familiar with. Her own experience, and knowing Jade’s story, inspired her to reach out to the Barwon Health Foundation and offer our support in this fundraiser.
That’s why during the month of December, we will be raising $1000 AUD for the Wish Upon A Star campaign with all the funds raised going directly to the purchase of this ultrasound equipment.
It doesn’t end there. We aim to match the $1000 AUD with a donation of our own from our research fund. This means that in total, we hope to donate $2000 AUD to this important cause and help families in the Geelong area get access to that all-important screening.
How To Donate
We actively encourage you to donate via the Barwon Health Foundation’s Christmas Appeal webpage! All we ask is that you send us a screenshot of your donation receipt with the amount clearly visible so we can add it to our tally. (email to hello@tapssupport.com and use the subject “Wish Upon A Star”)
We also will accept donations through our website – these will be clearly marked and allocated as being for the Wish Upon A Star appeal. We will regularly update the total and hope to hand over at least $2000 AUD at the end of December!
Facebook fundraiser is here. We do receive 100% of donations made through Facebook, without fees from them!
