Please Support Faith the Fighter

Faith Chalmers & her parents Louise and John Wilson have been through more than most families - especially in the last few years. Anyone reading this page, who isn't familiar, please let me explain;

Faith was born in 2004 when Louise was just 17 years old. It was an absolute shock, given her age, that Faith was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 - Downs Syndrome. But that wasn't the worst part. Faith was rushed to Auckland Starship Hospital aged just 10 weeks for open heart surgery to repair several holes. All went well and since then she's gone on to grow and thrive in everything she does. In 2012 Louise & John were thrilled to welcome their son Jackson in to the world, after suffering a devastating miscarriage the year earlier. Everything came crashing to a halt when at just 8 week, Jackson was rushed to Starship Hospital as well, suffering a rare meningitis infection of the brain. Heartbreakingly, Jackson never made if home. He passed away in Starship October 2012, at 9 weeks old.

After taking the time to grieve, they decided to try for another baby early 2015. They were thrilled to find out a couple of months later - they were expecting a little boy! But that joy didn't last long. Signs in a early scan pointed towards a possibly genetic mutation in their baby. After a nerve wracking month and several state of the art tests, they got the all clear!

Then came the worse news they couldn't even imagine...Faith was referred to a specialist at Southland Hospital for a slight 'limp'. After hours of consults, MRI's and Xrays, it was discovered that Faith was suffering from a hip displacement that is causing loss of blood flow, bone death, and wearing a hole in her joint on both sides. Urgent surgery is required for this, and the hospital has advised the latest they are willing to do this is as soon as Louise gives birth in November. At this stage it is not known if the surgery can take place in Invercargill or if the family will have to fly to Auckland Starship a third time.

Surgery involves separating Faith's legs at the thigh bone, rotating the hip joint and reconnecting her bones in the correct position. This will be followed by 6 weeks in a full cast and months of rehab. All with a newborn baby in the family.

And just to top it off - the day after Faith's diagnosis, John was informed that he would only have a further 8 weeks max of work. As the family's only income, that was news they didn't need.

Any donations made via this page will go directly the family. This will help ensure that Louise, John, Faith & their new addition can remain together as a family to support each other during Faith's recovery. They've always gone above and beyond to support others in their time of need and never ask for anything when they need it. Faith is one hell of a fighter and we're all hoping for the best outcome in the long run.

I thank you unconditionally for the support