George's Story

Say what you will about Married at First Sight, but a families celebrity encounter during the show has helped a sick boy who hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in his entire life.

For George, that means each day he has to have his colon manually cleared. He will never be able to clear his bowels using a toilet.

Some children like George have to sleep in an elevated position due to severe reflux. The family was using a wedge for George, but as he gets bigger, what she really needed for his was a hospital-style bed so she can easily elevate her son so he can’t slip off the wedge during the night.

Gina, in an attempt to raise awareness of the condition on behalf of her family and others, began a charity called Help for Hirschsprung Disease. It was during a visit with a family at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle that Gina was joined by MAFS participant Nicolas Jovanovic, a Newcastle local.

This is when Jo Abi from 9Honey reached out to Gina to talk about her son.

When our CEO David Sexton read the 9Honey story he knew Variety could help and got in touch with the family.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Gina was supported through the application process and in a matter of weeks, the much longed for bed with an elevation function was delivered to their home in Sydney’s inner west.

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We believe all kids deserve a fair go. We help kids 0-18 years of age who are experiencing sickness, disadvantage or have special needs.