“My partner and I recently had a little girl and we found out at the 13 week scan that she had Gastroschisis which is basically a small hole in the abdominal wall and the intestines protrude through. Apparently there is a 90% survival rate and we were given good news and told that she would be ok and make it through and toward the end they were saying it looked like the smallest Gastroschisis they’d ever seen and that it looked like it was starting to go back in, the hole was starting to heal up and that it would most likely only be a small operation.
When she was born there was basically nothing on the outside but what had happened was the hole had actually closed up around the protruding intestines and severed them off so we went through two days of labour. They tried to delay it but she was just determined to come out. They pumped me full of steroids and antibiotics to give her the best chance. We found out 6 hours after she was born that she wasn’t going to make it. She only had 10cm of intestine left, none of it was absorbent so yeah, we only had 13 days with her.
I got my birthday and Mothers Day to spend with her so it was …………..
I was working prior to this at a supermarket and I had a great boss and customers had been coming in through my pregnancy giving us little bootees and stuff like that. They were all very excited about the pregnancy and afterwards I just didn’t want to go back because I didn’t want to keep explaining what had happened. So 3 weeks ago I just started another job.
I would just like to add something about Summer (my daughter). I was able to spend my birthday doing skin to skin contact for 6+ hours for the first time. My entire morning was spent getting cuddles from my little girl so in that regard I was very lucky. It was the best birthday gift ever despite how bittersweet it was.
She was definitely worth the two days of labour and no sleep. She was the most amazing beautiful being I had ever laid eyes on.”
(footnote – After spending time with Sam can I just say….John! you have done a damn fine job sir!)
I was born in Lismore at the Base Hospital, grew up here, moved away for a little while, moved back and starting working with dad at Gary Bryants Rite Price Furniture on the riverbank which is now the big Sportspower building, before that it was my Dads shop. He sold that to Vados Furniture. Dad spent 27 years at Brown and Jolleys before opening his own shop.
I still have the old purple Chevy my dad had painted before he passed away but never actually had it put back together so a couple of years later I got the car back out from under his house, put the car back together and got in on the road. I also had a pink one which I sold that but kept the purple one for old times sake, nostalgia, and because it was Dads, I won’t sell it.
When I moved home from The Gold Coast I brought home my girlfriend and we got engaged then married. I think its been 22 years. There’s a lot I love about Lisa, she’s a very good mum and a very good partner and we have a lot of fun together. We had a lot of fun dancing when we did our rock and roll for a lot of years. Lisa and I taught together, learnt together, danced competitions together for a while, won a few championships here and there. We have two boys, Jackson 16 and Joshua 12, I wouldn’t be without them.”
Gary Bryants Mattress Discounts Cnr Ballina Rd and Dawson St Lismore.