24 July 2017

Scottie’s story

Scottie and his family live in the small town of Ulladulla, New South Wales.

“When Scottie came along, he was the first person in Ulladulla to be born with Cerebral Palsy – so he became very well known in the town, very quickly!” said Rhonda, Scottie’s mum.

Family and friends describe Scottie as a “petrol head” with a great sense of humour and quick wit. Scottie loves to socialise and just wants to do all of the things other 24 year old men do.

Scottie is very happy living at home, but his 24/7 care needs can take a toll on the family, especially his mum, Rhonda, who is Scottie’s full-time carer. With limited funding for respite, Scottie’s increased support needs, arthritis in her back and the recent loss of her father, Rhonda soon reached breaking point.

Pictured: Scottie and twin brother Steve

“I get up at 6.30am and I don’t rest until bed time. Scottie needs to be with me 24 hours a day. We only get so much funding for respite from the government and there has always been a big gap.

When my father passed, times became extremely tough and I really began to struggle. I was at my wits end, so I applied for a Youngcare At Home Care Grant” said Rhonda.

After successfully receiving a grant from Youngcare, Scottie has been given the opportunity to live more independently, and Rhonda now has time in her busy week to re-charge. Scottie has even started to catch a taxi home from ten-pin bowling on his own, which is a major milestone for his independence.

Youngcare supporters gave us the funds and knowledge to get the respite Scottie and I so desperately needed. If I didn’t receive the grant from Youngcare, I wouldn’t be here now. To say it was a huge help is an understatement. This grant has saved my life. Without Youngcare, I don’t know where we would be. Thank you.” – Rhonda

Rhonda said, “The grant came along just at the right time and truly did change our lives. Scottie is becoming a role model to his friends at bowling; the grant really has impacted everyone around him. When Scottie is happy, we are all happy.” said Rhonda.
Just a couple of extra hours of respite each week have made a huge difference to Rhonda and the family as a whole.