Goodstart Tallai supports employee to make the most of Ivy’s last days as fundraising continues

Goodstart Early Learning Tallai has supported one of its dedicated team members, Jess, to be by the side of her husband Chris Brunt as his six year old daughter Ivy continues to fight the brain cancer she was diagnosed with last year. 

 

Sadly a recent MRI indicated young Ivy only has weeks to live, with Chris saying he has “everything crossed” that Ivy makes it to her seventh birthday on 3 March. 

 

The Upper Coomera family are hosting a fundraiser for Ivy at Nerang RSL this evening “really do something for Ivy.” 

 

“She’s having a bit of a tough time,” Chris told local paper Gold Coast Bulletin. “Just in the last month, she’s lost the use of her arm and her leg. She can’t really talk any more. She’s having a hard time basically with everything. She’s started to shut down.”

 

There will be some big prizes on offer at the fundraiser, including a helicopter flight donated by SeaWorld and $1500 worth of beer donated by a local brewery. 

 

Ivy’s parents share 50-50 custody of Ivy and her older sister Ellsie. Since her diagnosis, Chris has taken every second week off work so he can spend time with Ivy. He said his employer, Taunton’s Excavations, had been “fantastic”.

 

“He’s helped me all through this, he’s made sure that I’ve been in hospital when I needed to be. He’s the best boss that I could ever ask for,” Chris said.

 

“My wife Jess, she works at Goodstart Early Learning Centre in Tallai and they’ve done the same thing, they’ve given here the time that we needed so we could be there for Ivy.”

 

Donations to help the family can also be made at their GoFundMe page.

 

To access the original coverage of this story please see here.