A Little About Us
Behind the scenes at
Put Me First
The Story Behind Our Business
My name is Sally White and I’m a mum of a beautiful daughter who was born with a rare genetic syndrome called Aicardi Syndrome.
Zahlia is now 8 years old which is about 7 years more than doctors said she would. She was born with a complete absent corpus callosum, brain damage on both hemispheres, vision impairment and a rare and uncontrollable seizure type.
She seized about 40 times a day as a baby and doctors said she would never walk, talk, eat or do anything independently. In addition she has weak lungs, recurring chest infections and pneumonia, urinary tract infections and constant headaches and body pain from the uncontrollable seizure activity.
Zahlia seizes day and night and cannot be left alone at any moment. She can be dangerous to herself and doesn’t understand safety.
As a parent with a child who needs 24 hour 7 days a week care, I was at my complete wits end. Life was falling apart. I’d barely slept in years, I didn’t eat properly, I stopped getting dressed in the morning, I barely left the house and began to develop social phobias. I made the most painful decision just after Zahlia was 5 years old that I would need to relinquish care of her. Keep in mind that I’d asked for respite for years but was always denied due to Disability Services not having enough money to help us. It was a Monday morning and I’d not slept a wink.
I called DSQ in hysterics, both from the pain of what I was about to say and also out of pure exhaustion. After a very lengthy phone call and them begging me to keep her, they were only too quick to offer 2 nights a week in respite house.
What happened next was just as painful. I was told that I needed to take Zahlia there that day and they would keep her for 2 days. She’d never been out of my sight before and they were asking me to drop her off somewhere completely unknown to her and I. My anxiety went through the roof. I refused to take her. It all seems so surreal now looking back since I was the one who asked for help and now they were offering me a life line and I couldn’t drop her off.
Zahlia has food allergies, she cant speak, she’s in nappies, she has 6 different seizure types, she is immune compromised, she doesn’t cope with strangers, she’s scared by sudden noises, she only sleeps in a really dark room and the list goes on……How could they know how to care for her?! It was all too much. Regardless, I was a mess emotionally and mentally and I knew she needed to go and I knew I needed to sleep.
I dropped Zahlia off to what I thought was a Children’s Respite House; no one actually told me that however, that was my assumption. You can imagine my shock when I arrived and saw that adults with disabilities staying there. My heart fell out of my chest, I was distressed and my supposed respite soon became filled with anxiety over what just wasn’t a good fit for my five year old daughter.
She’s a child and children need an environment appropriate for children. Likewise, it’s the same for adults. They don’t necessarily want to be in accommodation with children. So that’s what we’ve created. Two separate respite accommodations that feels like a home away from home. It’s modern, inviting, homely, warm and fun. There’s herb gardens, outdoor lounges, hammocks, relaxed living areas for the adults and the children have lush green grass, swings, slides and shell pools to splash about in.
I’m so proud of this achievement & I have many businesses, friends and family to thank!
The Story Behind Our Business
My name is Sally White and I’m a mum of a beautiful daughter who was born with a rare genetic syndrome called Aicardi Syndrome.
Zahlia is now 8 years old which is about 7 years more than doctors said she would. She was born with a complete absent corpus callosum, brain damage on both hemispheres, vision impairment and a rare and uncontrollable seizure type.
She seized about 40 times a day as a baby and doctors said she would never walk, talk, eat or do anything independently. In addition she has weak lungs, recurring chest infections and pneumonia, urinary tract infections and constant headaches and body pain from the uncontrollable seizure activity.
Zahlia seizes day and night and cannot be left alone at any moment. She can be dangerous to herself and doesn’t understand safety.
As a parent with a child who needs 24 hour 7 days a week care, I was at my complete wits end. Life was falling apart. I’d barely slept in years, I didn’t eat properly, I stopped getting dressed in the morning, I barely left the house and began to develop social phobias. I made the most painful decision just after Zahlia was 5 years old that I would need to relinquish care of her. Keep in mind that I’d asked for respite for years but was always denied due to Disability Services not having enough money to help us. It was a Monday morning and I’d not slept a wink.
I called DSQ in hysterics, both from the pain of what I was about to say and also out of pure exhaustion. After a very lengthy phone call and them begging me to keep her, they were only too quick to offer 2 nights a week in respite house.
What happened next was just as painful. I was told that I needed to take Zahlia there that day and they would keep her for 2 days. She’d never been out of my sight before and they were asking me to drop her off somewhere completely unknown to her and I. My anxiety went through the roof. I refused to take her. It all seems so surreal now looking back since I was the one who asked for help and now they were offering me a life line and I couldn’t drop her off.
Zahlia has food allergies, she cant speak, she’s in nappies, she has 4 different seizure types, she is immune compromised, she doesn’t cope with strangers, she’s scared by sudden noises, she only sleeps in a really dark room and the list goes on……How could they know how to care for her?! It was all too much. Regardless, I was a mess emotionally and mentally and I knew she needed to go and I knew I needed to sleep.
I dropped Zahlia off to what I thought was a Children’s Respite House. However, I arrived to something very different to what I expected. Did you know there are NO respite houses for children on the Sunshine Coast? I didn’t! So when I walked through the door and there were adults with disabilities staying there, I was shocked and confused to say the least. My heart fell out of my chest, I was distressed and my supposed respite soon became filled with anxiety over what just wasn’t a good fit for my daughter. Maybe one day it will be but not now.
She’s a child and children need and environment appropriate for children. Likewise, it’s the same for adults. They don’t necessarily want to be in accommodation with children. So that’s what we’ve created. Two separate respite accommodations that feels like a home away from home. It’s modern, inviting, homely, warm and fun. There’s herb gardens, outdoor lounges, hammocks, relaxed living areas for the adults and the children have lush green grass, swings, slides and shell pools to splash about in.
I’m so proud of this achievement & I have many businesses, friends and family to thank!
1st Hand Experience
As you can read from the story above, we’re here because of a unique journey that we’re sure many of you reading this can relate to.
Dependable Team
We’ve built a team of support workers that we know are excellent. They are highly trained and above all they are compassionate.
Their Happines Is Our Goal
We’re so very proud of the outcomes that we’ve achieved here at Put Me First. Your enjoyment during your time with us means everything.
Safety & Security
We have an excellent video monitoring security system that allows you as parents to check on your children at any time of the day.
Your Enjoyment is Our Mission.
You will benefit from our expertise
We have a range of in house activities that will keep you entertained. Or maybe you want to completely relax and laze about in one of our picturesque outdoor spaces.
Our outdoor living areas combined with our playgrounds & gardens are perfect for a rejuvenating experience.
