Together is Better – Meet Ben
Ben brings the sunshine, always singing and dancing, even at inappropriate times making everyone smile, you’ll often find him and his brother Harry dancing in the kitchen.
Ben’s imagination takes his family to new places every day and his love for his family makes them all feel so special, he gives the best hugs and Harry is Ben’s favourite person in the world.
Ben’s love for animals is amazing, he’s so gentle with them, even feeding the fish in our aquarium by hand, we always have to stop at petting zoos, and you’ll often see the family stopping on the side of the road to watch the kangaroos or by ponds and lakes to see fish, frogs and ducks.
Ben loves movie nights and game nights, trying to bring as much fun into their family’s journey as possible.
Despite all the meltdowns and uphill battles Benny is brave and faces the world with a smile ready to say hello to everyone.
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People with Prader-Willi Syndrome are kind, resilient, wonderful individuals, they have goals, dreams, and aspirations just like everyone else. Families strive to support their loved ones with Prader-Willi Syndrome and help them live their best life and this year want to bring awareness to others to ‘see their child as they see themselves – the whole person rather than just a person with a Prader-Willi Syndrome’.
In May, the 15 for 15 Challenge will raise awareness and funds for Prader-Willi Syndrome. Money raised will assist the Department of Paediatrics at Monash University to continue developing a desperately needed state-wide, evidence-based model of care for children with Prader-Willi Syndrome.
The project is led by Professor Katrina Williams of the Department of Paediatrics at Monash University in close consultation with Associate Professor Tom Connell from The Royal Children’s Hospital. Monash Partners Academic Health Science Centre, a partnership between leading health service, teaching and research organisations, will support the state-wide plan by working with all stakeholders, including children, families, carers and front-line clinicians, to identify and prioritise elements of the best care. The elements that will be prioritised include specific interventions and supports, models of care, location of care and key principles of care.
The program is being developed for implementation at both major Victorian paediatric hospitals (Monash Children’s Hospital and The Royal Children’s Hospital with regional links.
The model will be designed for implementation across all Australian hospitals that care for children with Prader-Willi Syndrome.
Funds will also be directed to the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Victoria (PWSA Victoria) to ensure the continuity and growth of the vital supports and services we provide to our community.
