Annual charity gala night hits home

The annual Mid West Charity Begins at Home Gala is a glamorous night out for most, but for mother-of-two Bianca Forrester, the event takes on an entirely different meaning.

The gala will get under way tomorrow, when the Forresters will join others at the event’s beneficiary table.

Mrs Forrester’s youngest son Eli was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, at just five years old.

Since the diagnosis, the Forresters have faced an uphill battle, with Eli constantly in and out of remission periods.

The 11-year-old is facing another round of treatment in Perth, with the only silver lining being a $10,000 donation from Mid West Charity Begins at Home earlier this year.

Mrs Forrester, who works part-time at Dome while caring for her son, said the donation had been a godsend.

“Each weekend, we’re in Perth while Eli is having treatment. There are also days when I’ll have to stay home to care for him when he’s not well,” she said.

“It puts quite a financial strain on us, but we’ve been fortunate to have help from Mid West Charity Begins at Home, which honestly just relieves so much stress we don’t need during periods like this.”

The money went towards purchasing the boy’s new mattresses and a Thermomix, with the remainder going into a savings account for the family.

Mrs Forrester said the money had given the family a reprieve from financial struggles.

“The boys have really needed new mattresses for a while and with Eli’s nutritional needs, the Thermomix will help us to leave out a lot of the preservatives of packaged foods,” she said.

“As for the savings, when I need to take a day off work to care for Eli, I don’t have to stress about how I’m going to make up the extra pay I’ve lost.

“People who donate to these charities may not realise what the money is actually going towards and how much it helps people.”

To donate to the charity or for more information, visit the website at www.charitybeginsathome.org.au.