Martin is 14 year old Jessica’s dad, Martin is a single dad and like many families he is concerned for Jessica’s future.

“I try not to think what will happen when I’m gone, but I do”

“I want her taught life skills so she can be independent because I’m not going to be around forever.”

Jessica was born with Down syndrome and Martin recently told us “if anyone says being a single dad is easy, put my shoes on and see how you go. It hasn’t been easy…”.

“Jessica’s mum and I found out she was going to be Down syndrome in an ultrasound. We decided we would give her the best care in the world,” Martin says.

The first two years of Jessica’s life were spent in and out of hospital, with her first major surgery at 5 weeks old, heart surgery at 15 months and an operation to remove her tonsils and adenoids on her 2nd birthday.

“It’s definitely been hard yacka. Coping with all the illness because of her low immune system was hard but getting Jessica to walk, eat properly and use her motor skills, were also difficult. There are also a lot of challenges with talking. Jessica used to get upset and hit herself when she couldn’t express herself and no one could understand her.”

Martin was referred to Northcott by Jessica’s school, when he started noticing improvements in her speech, her confidence and her independence.

At Northcott we are dedicated to supporting people with disability to realise their potential.

“It’s been about two years with Northcott now. The therapists have been going to Jessica’s school, coming here to the house and getting her to talk a lot better.”

Once she learned to talk and increased her communication skills, her confidence and self-esteem dramatically improved.

“Since this started, she is using a lot more words and expressing herself a lot better. She’s not stressing out so much with her talking.”

“She’s come a long way and I’m really happy with the work,” he says.

Martin says that with Northcott’s support, Jessica is becoming more independent, giving him peace of mind that she will be capable of looking after herself in the future.

With over 85 years of experience and expertise, Northcott delivers quality disability services that support families like Martin and Jessica, but we need your generosity to ensure our programs are ongoing.

How to make your gift:

Visit: www.northcott.com.au/donate to make a secure online donation.

Call: 1800 818 286 and Northcott’s Donor Care Coordinator will be able to take your gift over the phone.

All gifts $2 and over are tax deductible. ACN 000 022 971 ABN 87 302 064 152