Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They say Sunday's child is full of grace. In Elizabeth Shaw's case this is certainly true. On 5 January 1997—a Sunday—a little blonde bundle came into the world and, by her very nature from the outset, brought much joy. For her parents, Kylie and Stephen Shaw of Wagga Wagga, the arrival of Elizabeth, a sister to Zachary, was a happy and welcome occasion. Stephen is the eldest brother of my wife, Catherine, Elizabeth is my niece.

What I'm about to relay to the House is personal, but it's a story that needs telling and a cause well worth supporting. Elizabeth was raised in a supportive and loving family and taught she could do and be anything she wanted to strive for. She was a high achiever at school. She danced and was talented musically. She had a go at sport and, in her final year, was college captain, a distinction her younger sisters, Olivia and Gabrielle, also attained. As a teenager, like her three siblings, Elizabeth completed the arduous Kokoda Track—no easy task.

I tell you all of this because I want to paint a picture of what Lizzie's childhood and adolescent years were like—normal, fun, happy, successful, typifying a girl growing up in country Australia. Liz is now 26 and a new mum, and someone who should be enjoying some of the happiest days of her young life. Whilst she would be the very last person to seek sympathy—and I had to talk her into allowing me to give this speech—she now finds herself away from her beloved newborn and in a Sydney hospital, literally fighting for her life. You see, Elizabeth was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare bone marrow failure syndrome. This diagnosis came, like a sledgehammer blow, late in her pregnancy, with treatment starting seven weeks after she and her partner, Tom Byrnes, welcomed son Max into their lives.

As Liz posted on Facebook on Saturday:

I've had so many beautiful messages since the birth of Max, including "I hope you guys are well".

Some of you might have noticed that the reply has only included a synopsis on Max's health and not my own. This is because I have not been well.

This time last year I was in Mudgee with my friends. My biggest stress was choosing which wineries we should visit and finding my lost car keys after a night out.

This year I'm spending the long weekend in a hospital bed, commencing treatment for a diagnosis of Aplastic Anaemia, a rare bone marrow failure syndrome, 7 weeks after giving birth to my baby.

The last few weeks of pregnancy, and then the last 7 weeks have definitely not gone to plan, and have been far from what I pictured new motherhood to be.

My stressors this year are a little bit more life threatening, and one of them includes a shortage of suitable blood for continued transfusions needed to keep me going and finding a suitable bone marrow donor if/when we need to cross that bridge.

Please consider donating blood if you can, it would really mean so much to me and the many others who depend on it to stay alive (bit morbid, sorry).

If you can't, please consider donating to Maddie Riewoldt's Vision (www.mrv.org.au)—a foundation launched following Maddie's death from AA in 2015, at age 26. They are dedicated to researching and improving patient outcomes for those diagnosed with bone marrow failure syndromes. Footy fans may be familiar.

If you're feeling particularly sad for me and others diagnosed with AA or blood cancers etc please consider registering yourself as a bone marrow donor at Strength to Give (strenghtogive.org.au/register/) or talk to your local blood bank.

Apologies for the long and depresso post, and thanks in advance for your support.

Thankyou for all the messages, please know I am grateful for your check-ins.

We still have a long road ahead, and we hope everyone can see us and meet Max soon.

This week is National Blood Donor Week and today is World Blood Donor Day, something we should all consider rolling up our sleeves for and getting involved for the sake of Liz and others like her.

A few interesting figures are that one in three Australians will need blood, but only about one in 30 currently donate; more than 13 million additional Australians may be eligible to donate, but only 3.7 per cent of the population are maintaining the blood and plasma supply. So please consider donating blood or plasma, or even register to be a bone marrow donor. You will be saving lives. I wish you all the best, Elizabeth. We all love you.