Declan

Declan Loves the IDFNZ holiday homes.

Declan was born with Hirchsrungs disease.

This is where there are missing nerve cells in the muscles or part of the large intestine.

We were transferred from Dunedin to Christchurch hospital when he was just two days old. He was diagnosed and underwent he first surgery at six days old, where they removed 20cm of his large intestine.

Unfortunately this was not the end of our battle and Declan suffered from other undiagnosed bowel conditions for years to come, undergoing major surgeries and treatments. This was a major stress on our family, being in different cities for months at a time.

Eventually Declan was being fed a special formula straight into his Jejunum, through a Gastrostomy feeding tube, and also on daily Total Parenteral Nutrition administered via a Hickman Line.

This has come at a huge stress to the family and at which time my mother had researched the holiday home available at Cairnmuir camp ground.

We applied to become a member of IDFNZ and were thrilled to be accepted and have access to not only great support from them but the relief of being able to finally travel and enjoy a break away from the monotonous hospital appointments.

Cairnmuir campground and the IDFNZ house has become a family favourite of ours.

Bannockburn is a fantastic location, its lovely and relaxing yet also close enough to many Central Otago attractions.

Our family love relaxing by the lake, which is a short stroll from the house. There are also many great wineries close by. A brand new bike track linking from Clyde to Cromwell.

The view from the balcony is fabulous, you are often woken to the sound of jetboats on the lake in the summer mornings, laughter and play from children enjoying water activities.

We can’t wait to spend many more happy times at this fabulous location.