Kylie is the loving mum of Amelia, a beautiful seven-year-old girl with autism and severe kidney function problems. Amelia was diagnosed with a duplex collecting system at age three, and she has spent a large portion of her young life in hospital. Kylie is a single mum battling to care for her daughter and look after herself along the way.
Amelia’s condition has become a huge part of her life. She got her first UTI at four years old, which ended up in the first of many hospital stays. She has now had 10 surgeries, including a bladder reconstruction and kidney removal. Together, Amelia and Kylie have become regulars at Randwick and Wollongong hospitals.
Amelia’s condition has had a pronounced impact on family finances and stress levels, in a way most people simply can’t understand. While Kylie receives some financial support, minimal government payments don’t come close to covering real-world expenses. From the cost of medications and travel to the uncertainty involved with Amelia’s condition, ongoing hospital stays are stressful for everyone involved.
Kylie and Amelia’s story is a powerful reminder of the wide-reaching impact of childhood disease. While it should always be about the kids, parents and loved ones need to be looked after too. Parents often forget about themselves when caring for their children, especially when things get stressful and situations spiral out of control.
In these challenging circumstances, Supertee provides a small but tangible boost. Supertee is a relatively recent addition to Amelia’s life, and it’s helped her to feel more comfortable in the hospital environment. It helps with medication access, makes changing clothes much easier, and gives her confidence a boost when she needs it the most.
Amelia was super excited the first time she opened her shirt, and she perks up every time she looks down and sees herself as a superhero.
