A 10-YEAR-OLD Bonnells Bay girl with a debilitating muscle disease will enjoy the family holiday of a lifetime this week thanks to the generosity of locals.
Azelia Boney and her family will fly to the Gold Coast on Sunday, and the theme parks are headlining their five-night itinerary.
Azelia is counting down the sleeps.
"She a big movie kid, so we're sure that she'll love Movie World, and she really loves dolphins, so Sea World will be great, too," her mum, Cassandra, told Lakes Mail on Monday.
Azelia has nemaline myopathy.
The symptoms include muscle weakness affecting her mobility and fine motor skills, eating and breathing.
She requires a ventilator to help her breathe while sleeping, and is increasingly dependent on a wheelchair.
She travels regularly to Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney for treatment.
Cassandra, 36, said the cost and time demands involved in caring for Azelia as well as daughter Danika, 3, meant that she and partner Mathew had next to no chance of treating the family to a memorable holiday.
Mathew said: "As a family, we really haven't had a holiday. We occasionally go to Sydney to visit Cassandra's family... that's about it."
So when the couple learned last year that family friend Bev Sandiford had started fundraising for Azelia, they were touched.
But they were totally unprepared for where that would lead.
Bev recently revealed that the fundraising efforts had resulted in enough money to send the family on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Gold Coast.
"We were just overwhelmed," Cassandra said.
Bev and her buddies in the Coastal Bootscooters dance group were clearly women on a mission.
And it seems that big hearted locals just couldn't say no when the bootscooters come asking for a donation.
A raffle at Dora Creek Workers Club in December raised more than $3200 alone.
The fundraising efforts also produced a new video camera and digital SLR camera for the family to use on their holiday.
Bev said that when Lake Macquarie residents have an opportunity to support one of their own in need, they do not hesitate.
"Whether it was local people buying raffle tickets, or businesses making cash or prize donations, they were just wonderful," Bev said.
Cassandra said she was struggling to find the words to express her gratitude to everyone who had contributed.
"This holiday will mean the world to Azelia. She will never forget it," she said.
¦ Fundraising co-ordinator Bev Sandiford said that among those to make donations for Azelia's holiday were:
Retravision Morisset, Dora Creek Chemist, Martin's Meats of Dora Creek, Mega Fruit Barn at Dora Creek, Newcastle Quality Smallgoods of Sunshine, Woolworths Morisset, The Bay Hotel Motel of Bonnells Bay, Dora Creek Workers Club, Wangi District Workers Club, Wangi Bowling Club, Lake Macquarie Village and Caravan Park of Morisset, Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation, Martin's Restaurant of Martinsville, Coles at Bonnells Bay, and Bunnings Warehouse at Morisset.
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