WHEN Spearwood grandfather Jaime Correia, started collecting cans he never imagined it would lead to raising thousands of dollars for charity and honouring his late granddaughter, Kayla.
The 78-year-old who lost his granddaughter just before Christmas in 2008 to a rare chromosome disorder, has now set his sights on raising $20000 with a dinner dance fundraiser on October 15 at the WA Portuguese Club.
“I had started collecting the cans a couple of years ago and it wasn’t until I realised how much I had I turned to my wife and said I think I want to donate this money to Perth Children’s Hospital,” Mr Correia said.
“My wife thought it was a wonderful idea and agreed I should raise as much money as I can.”
Mr Correia’s daughter Diane and her husband Paul Goncalves gave birth to Kayla in 2004 and shortly after discovered something wasn’t quite right.
Mrs Goncalves said Kayla spent three months in the neonate ward and after months of testing doctors discovered she was diagnosed with an abnormal chromosome number five.
A rare condition which Mrs Goncalves believed only about 30 other children in the world had at the time with Kayla being the only one diagnosed in Australia.
“At six months we noticed she wasn’t doing the normal thing babies did,” Mrs Goncalves said.
“She never walked, talked, or ate and it was after further testing done in the US that they discovered she had been born with this rare syndrome where the baby’s life expectancy is up to six years old.
“We spent her entire four and half years of life in and out of Princess Margaret Hospital including having to watch her go through five operations in her short life.”
Mr Correia who is also the WA Portuguese Club vice president, said having seen his daughter, son-in-law Paul and little Kayla go through so much trauma had broken his heart. Now he wants to honour his beloved grandchild’s memory and thank the wonderful staff, nurses and doctors who give so much to help the children and their families when they are at their lowest.
“I used to see my granddaughter and so many other children suffering, and the doctors and nurses were amazing, I want to give back as a sign of my thanks for everything they did for Kayla,” Mr Correia said.
“Originally I just started collecting cans and when I worked out I had traded in more than $6000, I thought this is a good way to start but now I want to donate even more.
“I spoke to the rest of the committee at the WA Portuguese Club and they all agreed to support me in my endeavour.”
Mr Correia along with his family will hold the event on October 15 from 6.30pm. He hopes to hand deliver the cheque to Telethon during the Telethon weekend on October 22 and 23.
Tickets for the event are $50 and include a buffet dinner, entertainment, and raffle prizes. Anyone interested in attending or wanting to donate raffle prizes should contact Paul Goncalves on 0422 230 822.
A big thank you to Jornal da Madeira for publishing a Portuguese version of the story (see below).
One Response
Well done Sr Jaime.
Thank you