Let me share a story that’s close to home.
When Emma was just 3 years old, she was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis.
This was long before the NDIS existed.
Long before Telehealth. Her family travelled from Yeoval to Dubbo twice a week for Early Intervention appointments. Speech therapy. Occupational Therapy. Assessments.
Support. And honestly? It sounds like it took a whole village.
There would have been exhaustion. Long car rides. Rearranged schedules. Financial pressure. Siblings shuffled around. The emotional weight of trying to do the very best for a child you love deeply.
But her family kept showing up. Because when you love a child, you do whatever it takes.
Now, Emma has just turned 40. She lives independently, zips around Dubbo in her little red car, and her checkout line at Woolworths is always the longest because everybody wants to talk to Emma.
She remembers people’s names. Their dog’s names. She is witty, funny, social and deeply loved by her community.
Emma, is my beloved sister-in-law.
And I think watching Emma’s journey unfold as a brothe shaped Luke deeply, too.
He has a glimmer of understanding of what sits behind every appointment of the families who come to see us at Keirn Health — the hope, the advocacy, the exhaustion and the love.
It’s something we think about often at Kerin Health.
And this is the WHY behind Kerin Health.
Because early intervention matters. Not just for milestones. But for confidence.
Connection. Independence. Quality of life.
Sometimes I think about the therapists, teachers and support people who helped shape Emma’s life all those years ago.
The therapists. The teachers. The family members. The people who believed in her future.
And what an incredible privilege it is that we, at Kerin Health, now get to be that support for other families, too.
We are currently opening additional appointments for Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy, both face-to-face and via Telehealth, for families across the Central West.
And if something in your gut has been telling you your child may need extra support, please know you don’t have to navigate that alone.
