A Cause for Cruz

We are raising funds to help this family be able to continue to send Cruz to his much needed therapy sessions each week/month.
Cruz attends physiotherapy, speech therapy and horse riding for the disabled on a regular basis. As both of Cruzs parents are New Zealand Citizens and are unable to apply for Australian Citizenship, they have been paying privately for all of Cruzs therapy sessions since Cruz was a baby.
As Cruz cannot yet crawl, stand or walk, he is required to be moved every where and needs specialised disability equipment. Having to also pay out of pocket for his equipment has meant that it is getting harder and harder to manage the costs of Cruzs therapy appointments as well.
The goal figure would enable Cruz to attend his physiotherapy session once a month (for a year), his Speech session once a month (for a year), and his weekly horse riding sessions (for a year).
This would help Cruzs parents in so many ways having the financial burden of at least Cruzs therapy sessions off their shoulders for a whole year, and they can then concentrate on purchasing larger disability equipment as and when he needs it and Cruzs usual medication costs each week.
We will be attaching a poster in the next few days in respect of a fundraising motor bike ride happening on 22nd October 2017.....so save the date any bike riders out there!!!!
On behalf of Cruzs parents, Tammy and Nathan, we thank you all for sharing this page and if any donations are made whether big or small, we thank you in advance. This is for a great cause guys, let's see if we can help out this strong little guy achieve some huge milestones!!

If you would like to read more on Cruz, please see below; or if you have any questions please contact Cruzs' mother Tammy Reed via Cruzs facebook page called "Cause for Cruz".

Hi, our names are Tammy Reed and Nathan Goodwin and we have a gorgeous 3 ½ year old son called Cruz. Cruz has a rare chromosomal disorder called 2q37 Deletion Syndrome. This syndrome has resulted in Cruz (and our family) having to live in hospital for the first year of his life. There is only around 100 reported cases of this syndrome worldwide.
Cruz’s two most significant issues resulting from his syndrome are that he has major Gastro Intestinal problem, and developmental delay. His gastric problem meant that Cruzs’ bowel kept twisting and he has sadly been unable to drink or eat anything orally since he was 3 weeks old. His stomach and bowel had not worked since birth. His time in hospital has resulted in numerous surgeries, infections, blood transfusions and many more horrible complications along the way with long periods of time in the Paediatric ICU. Cruzs needs are high, and always will be.
His developmental delay issues means Cruz struggles to reach all of his milestones. Cruz can now sit unaided, however he cannot yet crawl, stand or walk. He can also roll to each side for a very short period of time. He is very behind with speech but is able to say a few words being Mumma, Dadda, Nanna, Bubba, Peppa, George, Elmo, Ball, Bubbles, Boo and GO!! He is also learning sign language and its been amazing being able to communicate with him using signs. He is alot less frustrated now that he is able to communicate with a few words and a few signs. He can now sign for Car, Friend, Shopping, More, Finished, Book, Like, Good, Cat, Dog, Cow, Frog,
Cruz also suffers from a genetic duplication, specifically 12q24.11 to 12q24.33, a tethered spinal cord requiring surgery within the next year; GORD (Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disease) resulting in vomiting every day since birth so far; low cortisol and blood sugar levels; iron deficiency and anaemia; an oral aversion and feed intolerance; easily susceptible to viruses and infection; difficult to intubate and numerous failed extubations; breathing difficulties requiring oxygen on many occasions; high risk of line sepsis having the Port-a-cath inserted in his chest; a very high tolerance for opioids which means he is difficult to sedate and keep sedated and requires weaning periods, and a sleeping disorder to name a few.
Cruz had life threatening bowel surgery on 20 February 2015, which so far has proved to be successful. Cruz has since been able to be fed into his stomach via a Mic-key button every 3 hours, and water is given through this button to keep Cruz hydrated. Cruz has also had eye lid surgery to correct his lazy eye and improve his vision. Cruz has 3 monthly iron infusions to help his iron levels stay stable. Tammy has not been able to return back to work since having Cruz, as caring for him is a 24 hour / 7 day a week job. Nathan is selfemployed and, due to the expenses associated with giving Cruz as many opportunities as we can and access to as much therapy as is required, Nathan works six days a week with very long hours. Cruz has many outpatient appointments on a weekly basis, along with physiotherapy sessions, speech therapy and horse riding for the disabled. Cruz attends a Special Needs day care which is two hours each Tuesday and Thursday where Cruzs carer is required to stay with him to help move Cruz around the room and support him sitting on the chairs and play equipment. Cruz has specialised disability equipment at home such as a wheelchair , a walker, two supportive seats (one for feeding and one for a comfortable seat), a physio mat and a special bathing chair. Both myself and Nathan are sadly unable to become Australian Permanent Residents and/or Australian Citizens. We have looked in to this, and unfortunately we do not fit in to any of the categories in which can apply.
Cruz was born in Australia, but that sadly does not make him an Australian - he is still considered a New Zealand Citizen by decent until he is 10 years old. This has proven to be very hard for us in the way that we are not eligible for any funding from the Australian Government to help towards therapies or equipment for Cruz. Moving back to New Zealand is not an option for us at this time either. It is far too risky for us to move Cruz outside of Australia. Given Cruz’s medical and health issues to date, we have a great team of medical professionals who know Cruz well and he remains under their care. Additionally, Cruz’s medical advice to date is that the climate in Queensland is much better for Cruz’s health and wellbeing. As a result of being ineligible for any assistance, we have to pay for the therapies Cruz needs by ourselves and sadly, nothing labelled "special needs" is inexpensive.
We are proud to say that Cruz is the happiest little boy and can always manage smile no matter the circumstance. He is getting very cheeky now and has quite the little personality. He is so very loved, and gives us a lot of love and affection back. He is a lovely little boy who is very caring, he likes to share everything, he is gentle with others and I can already see what a loving boy he is becoming.
Our most sincere heart felt thank you for any donation towards Cruz to help our precious boy who deserves to live life to the fullest. Any donations will be used towards therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, horse riding for the disabled and possibly music therapy as Cruz is developing a love for music. Thank you xxx