Lend a hand: Gavin Boggitt is hosting a trivia night this month to help raise money to support his son Braydon. Picture: Wayne Hawkins
IT took more than a decade for the Boggitt family to find out what has caused their son Braydon so many challenges during his life.
The 13 year old of Boronia was recently diagnosed with a deletion in his 17th chromosome q 12, which results in epileptic seizures, nystagmus (his eyes constantly move from side to side), ataxia (he falls down all the time) and speech difficulties.
He also has global developmental delay, placing him behind most children's milestones, and he still wears nappies because he can't be toilet trained.
And while his father Gavin Boggitt said it's been an extremely challenging 13 years, his son is still a happy child with a big smile and wicked sense of humour.
But caring for Braydon can be expensive, so Mr Boggitt is hosting a trivia night with Wise Owl to raise money for a new wheelchair for his son.
The wheelchair Braydon now uses for day-to-day living is old and heavy and can't be folded up to be placed in the car — so despite an injury that means he can't even work, Mr Boggit lifts the chair into the car.
They get some support from the government, like respite days, but Mr Boggitt said they "really had to fight" for other things Braydon needed.
There are several options to make life easier for the Boggitt family, including a ramp to roll the wheelchair into the car, an off-road wheelchair or a multipurpose one.
But Mr Boggitt estimated that could leave them almost $7000 out of pocket, and that's not something they can afford. They also need to update the technology Braydon uses to communicate with his family.
Braydon was born in New Zealand but care for his condition was too expensive, so the family moved to Sydney to begin a new life with appropriate care.
But the heat triggered many problems for Braydon so they moved south to Tasmania for five years, before finally setting in Melbourne to access the Royal Children's Hospital.
"Boronia is where we're going to stay now," Mr Boggitt said.
The family is searching for sponsors for their trivia night and donations for trivia prizes, auctions and raffles would be greatly appreciated. The night is on Saturday, October 20, at Yawarra Primary School in Boronia. To buy tickets or to help, call 0412 986 175 or email gboggitt@bigpond.net.au.