20 replies to this topic

[matress]

Hi guys,

For those of you who don�t know already, we sadly lost my 8 year old brother, Josh last night at the Royal Children�s Hospital in Melbourne. He put up a great fight, as he always does, but this time his infection got the better of him.

For those of you who don�t know his story, Josh was born on December 15th 1999 to Glenda and Peter. For a while everything seemed completely normal, but after a few months, it was noticed that he wasn�t developing exactly as a child should. He was eventually diagnosed with the rare condition, �polymicrogyria� (http://en.wikipedia..../Polymicrogyria) which also left him quadriplegic, and if that wasn�t enough, he was diagnosed with epilepsy aswell.

As you can imagine, this was quite upsetting for everyone who was close to Peter, Glenda and of course Josh, but it certainly didn�t stop anyone loving him. Eventhough he was unable to sit up and support his own body weight, walk, or talk, he was still able to communicate in his own way, and loved entertaining people with his huge smiles and cheeky giggles. Although he wasn�t able to talk, it was obvious that he could understand people talking to him. He also loved being read books and watching TV, especially shows like Hi-5 aswell as my preference, the Simpsons, which I eventually got him hooked on.

Due to Josh�s condition, he required round-the-clock care, and of course mum and Peter weren�t going to give up any time they were able to spend with Josh, so they opted to do it themselves along with help from various carers.

Because of his illness and low immune system, he was susceptible to illness, especially pneumonia which saw him spending several weeks at a time, several times a year in the Royal Children�s Hospital where mum and Peter sat by his bedside, urging him to pull through, as he always seemed to miraculously do.

I could go on and write pages about the wonderful but short life that my brother had, and continue to elaborate on the tremendous love that Glenda and Peter had for him, but the main reason for writing this email because I think that my mum, Glenda and Peter need to get away and spend some time with each other, which they haven�t been able to do. Also, because of the round-the-clock care that was required, it was hard for either of them to work, and hence money was scarce for them.

I would like to try to raise some money to send Glenda and Peter away on a holiday. Neither of them have been able to go away, as most of us do quite often. Partly because of their financial state and also because of difficulties transporting Josh to places far away from the Royal Children�s Hospital and other facilities that he relies on. For the past 8 years, Glenda and Peter have dedicated their lives to loving and caring for Josh, I think some time away is well deserved.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so by making a deposit into the account listed below:

Mathew Elkan
Westpac
BSB: 033 034
ACC: 416 603

Thank you for your support, it is greatly appreciated.

Mat Elkan
0424 316 704

[CLuTZ]

Oh Matt I don't know what to say, but my condolences go out to you and your fams- its not easy losing loved ones, but as my ex-girlfriend always used to tell me is that everything happens for a reason.

I hope you're holding up ok- i'll send you over a small ($30) donation to your fund





dre

[marinetowing]

So sorry for you and your family Matt, thats so sad to hear . I am with Dre and will make a contribution and hope it helps in some small way.
Condolences mate.
Scott.

[Evo-00x]

Matt, having a little boy nearly 7 years old myself it seems that time has flown by in the blink of an eye and understand how precious every moment spent together with a child is. I could never imagine my life without him nor ever want to be a parent to have to live with the burden of losing a child before I lay to rest. As someone once told me 'it's not how much time you spend in this world that makes people remember you', its 'what you do with the little that you have that is etched into people's memories forever', and Josh was blessed to have people like you and your family in his life to care and nurture him throughout the good times and the bad. You now carry his legacy with you forever in your heart, make it be your strength to live every moment in this life like it were your last, and God willing cherish each valuable moment with your own children should you be blessed with children of your own in the future. Til you all reunite with Josh and see him smiling again, I offer you my heartfelt condolences and will put some funds toward support for Glenda and Peter. It's a wonderful thing that you're doing...

[Skuz]

mat i am sorry to hear please pass my condolences onto glenda and peter for me and i will make a small donation.

nick

[NZVR4]

sorry to hear about this,one thing you guys can take from this is that even though he had a short stay with you it looks like you and your family gave him the best possible life he could of had,he may not have lived to an old age but I bet he made a huge impact on who you are as people and a family.your parents deserve alot of praise and the holiday you have planned.it takes alot of strength for familys to pull through these kinds of things.he will be waiting for you on the other side.

[3zercrowd]

Im so sorry for your loss Matt

I lost my brother when he was just a day old and I didnt find out till my 18th birthday

May they both Rest In Peace........

Donation also sent.

Dane and Ruth

[SIVART]

sorry to hear Matty, my condolences go out to you and your family

donation sent buddy

Travis

[brisvr4]

My deepest condolences to you and your family Matt.
I'm sure Josh is smiling down on you all from where he is now mate!
Keep your chin up and look after yourself buddy.
Donation sent.

Tim

[ewolution]

Kia tau, ki a t�tou katoa
Te atawhai o t� t�tou Ariki a Ihu Karaiti
Me te aroha o te Atua
Me te whiwhingatahitanga ki te wairua tapu
Amine.

God Bless bro, Condolences to your family and loved ones. Very sad.

[shauny]

Hey Matt, Also my deepest condolences goes out to your family and yourself.

verry touching story, also my mother lost her first new born,

i serpose its part of life, i have lost way tomany friends in the last 5 years, But you just have to hold your head up and keep going on with life and its suprises

ill putt $50 down

Shaun.

[matress]

Thanks for all the kind words guys, it means a lot!

[EVOLUTIONTOM]

Sorry to hear buddy.

[GSR70Y]

My condolences go out to your entire family. I can't even begin to imagine what you guy's have gone through.

I can't afford much at the moment, but I hope my donation makes a small difference..

cheers,
Dave

[3 pebbles]

condolences to you and your family donation sent.

[matress]

guys, i just checked the account that I set up for the fund... I can't believe it, it almost reduced me to tears.

thank you so much for all of your extremely generous donations.

some of you guys i haven't even met before, and your generosity has been amazing.

i don't know what to say, but thanks!

things are definitely going to get harder before they get easier, but the support from guys like yourselves is definitely a huge help.

[Entaran]

Mat, we've already spoken but you know that you have my families support in anything you need. The death of a child is never something that will ever become easy although with time it can be accepted a little more... and so close to your own birthday.

I and possibly other's will be attending the funeral on Wednesday.

Give your mother our best.

[JayRome]

my condolences to you and your fam, were all here for ya bro

R.I.P.

[mattrat]

i dont know matt, i dont know anyone on this forum.
but i also do know how one simple day can change entire lives forever. its always extremely unfortunate for a loss of a loved one and we will all go through it.
i hope my small donation will contribute to a great cause as it sounds like your parents have gone through a great ordeal and my feelings are out for you and the rest of your family.
Regards Matt

[fradles]

many condolences...

its kids like josh, and situations like yours which pull 30000 people every year to the run4the kids alone which is aiming to raise in excess of $200k, let alone the royal childrens hospital appeal...which through woolworths stores alone will hit the $1000000 mark

your story touched me and will push me harder to raise funds for when i participate in the run for the kids