What a day.
This time 8 years ago I was adjusting to the fact that Ben and I suddenly had two tiny girls and one tiny boy. Three babies that were totally dependant on us.. I would never have imagined in what way, and for how long. I had no idea of what lay ahead..
Now 8 years later I shake my head in wonder- at many things, but today I am amazed- how many 8 year olds get a 5 acre block on their birthday?
It seems that the long wait, of patiently hoping and praying for this block to build on, has finally come to fruition. And of all days, settlement took place yesterday- the 17th of November- on the kids 8th birthdays. It was just what they had been hoping for!
Let me introduce our new block:
A miraculous story in itself, we have been able to purchase a 5 acre block of land on which to build a specially designed, accessible house for Anwen, Mahalah and Gideon's special needs!
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| Mahalah waves to some friends as she gets out at the block for the first time. |
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| Anwen got out of the van on the block for the first time and said: "The first thing I intend to do is to go for a run!" |
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| Gideon and his friend go trooping off together straight away. |
Tucked away on the western edge of town, and up a slight rise, the block feels peaceful and removed, yet is within walking distance to the main street and the high school. Almost a year in the making, 'the block' is the right combination of mental space, physical space, and accessibility to town, all things that our family really needs.
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There are many things to carefully consider to make a house truly accessible for one power wheelchair- let alone three. All I can say is we are glad to have an experienced building designer on the job. Actually we are very grateful for Dick Clarke, director of 'Envirotecture', based in Sydney, as he has volunteered his time and skills to help make our new house a reality.
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| Dick and Ben taking measurements on the building envelope. |
At this stage the house fundraising is up to about $70,000- over a third of the way towards our initial goal of $200,000, to begin building. (We are hoping to be able to cover the other half of the estimated total cost on our own).
Thank you *very much* to all the businesses, friends and strangers who have all pulled together with such a beautiful community spirit to help make this 'miracle house' become an amazing reality for Anwen, Mahalah and Gideon.
I can't wait to post you the next update. Whether it be house designs, earthworks, foundations or tree planting, we'll keep you updated.
At each stage along the way you may know of something or someone that could potentially help. Please be invited to join in on our adventure. We really can't do it on our own. I think that's the beauty of it.
And who knows, maybe this time next year we might be celebrating Anwen, Mahalah and Gideon's 9th birthday in our new, accessible 'miracle house'?
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| L to R, Mahalah, Anwen and Gideon exploring the block on their 8th birthday with friends. |
In Other News:
- A friend has set up a GoFundMe page on our behalf. It's an easy way to spread the word, and the donate button is directly linked to the kids account. Check it out here: http://www.gofundme.com/acpmok?forcedesktop=1
- You may have noticed this blogs' shiny new-ish Donate button. It is also directly linked to the house fundraising account via PayPal.
- The 'miracle house' account details, for those wishing to use them directly are; Bank: NAB Canowindra, Account Name: 'Read Triplets Special Needs' BSB: 082 500, Account Number: 396 905 753
With much gratitude and gladness,
Jemimah Read.
On behalf of Benjamin, and Anwen, Mahalah and Gideon.
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