Father's Day this year was extra special for Wangaratta dad Dan Exintaris as he celebrated the occasion with his premature one-year-old son Avery, whose earliest days were supported by Life's Little Treasures Foundation (LLTF).
One of Australia's leading support organisations for parents of sick and premature children, LLTF will be commemorating their 20th anniversary this year with their Mighty Trek Challenge as part of the annual Walk for Prems event.
Throughout October, they'll be travelling 900km and pushing a NICU incubator through 20 selected locations from Sydney to Melbourne.
Dan and his wife Fairlie Exintaris will be partnering with the foundation during their stop to Norm Minns Oval, Wangaratta on Thursday, 16 October, with the couple to assist in pushing the NICU incubator.
Dan and Fairlie's first steps into parenthood were far from their expectations; after infertility struggles, Fairlie conceived through IVF in 2020 and later gave birth to their daughter Sutton at 35+3 weeks, weighing just 1650g.
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Sutton spent three weeks in special care, requiring low-flow oxygen due to her premature arrival, and this experience was very isolating and difficult to navigate, especially during the peak of the pandemic.
They acquired the support of LLTF through a family member's recommendation, and their Precious Prems Pack provided much-needed guidance, support and comfort during this time.
"We were up in Brisbane at the time and received a pack from Life's Little Treasures but we didn't know much about (the organisation) at the time," Dan said.
Fairlie delivered their son Avery at just 25 weeks old after being transported to Melbourne due to ruptured membranes and no fluid being detected in a 23-week scan.
Only weighing 899g, Avery proved as resilient as his older sister, being welcomed home in January this year after spending 96 days in hospital.
As parents from regional Victoria, the experience was nothing short of tough, being away from home, unable to work and apart from their daughter Sutton.
"I think they (LLTF) are looking at how best to support regional families," Dan said.
"It was a bit different for us - I grew up in Brisbane my whole life so our first child lived in the city, it was a lot easier.
"But being remote/regional now and going to Melbourne, having to stay in Melbourne for three months, it was a different time all together."
Support from Ronald McDonald House and LLTF through care packs, community and connection helped them navigate through this difficult time.
"(LLTF) were pretty good, giving us all sorts of things like a morning tea at the hospital, a gift voucher to spend, lots of little things over the time we were there," Dan said.
"They're always someone you can turn to... offering whatever they can to support parents in need."
He urged the community to get behind the cause whether through participating in the walk or making a donation toward funding incubators, which aren't cheap but save lives.
"Someone will always be in need," Dan said,
"It'd be good to get the community behind this because it's something not a lot of people know about."
Dan and Fairlie are running a personal fundraiser with a goal of raising $1000 which you can donate to at walk-for-prems-2025.raiselysite.com/t/avery-sutton-exintaris.
To register and for more information on the various options available, visit themightytrek.org.au.
