Pomonal's Belinda Whethers has spent the last six months with her son Bodhi in Melbourne as he recovers from potential life-saving surgery her sister Melissa Evans has set up a GoFundMe page as they continue the treatment journey.
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Bodhi was diagnosed with alpha-mannosidosis - a rare, incurable, and degenerative storage disorder affecting about 200 people worldwide.
"He is being closely monitored which means he is going really well," Mrs Whethers said.
"He is full of energy, full of beans."
Since receiving a bone marrow transplant in February Bodhi has been recovering at Ronald McDonald House in Melbourne, over 200km away from his friends and classmates.
"We have a farm just out of Lake Fyans where we breed macaws and we have ostriches and we are just about to get some sheep," Mrs Whethers said.
"For him being at the farm is the ultimate so being stuck in Melbourne hasn't been ideal for him.
"The first couple of months he wasn't really allowed to see people so we would just go to the park and go to the zoo later in the day when there were no crowds."
Since then, Bodhi has explored what Melbourne has to offer, in his adventurous way.
"He doesn't watch tv or play games like that, he is just an outdoor kid," Mrs Whethers said.
"He tends to fixate on things he wants to do so at the moment he just wants to catch trams.
"So we are going all around the city, he just wants to hop on a tram, he doesn't care where.
"For me, it is all about doing what he wants but keeping him safe at the same time because he still has a really low immune system.
"We do whatever we can to keep him happy."
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Mrs Whethers said she hoped Bodhi would be able to return home to the rest of their family and the community which has supported him over his journey.
"He goes to Pomonal Primary, where I am the principal and the kids are really amazing, they really look after him," she said.
"The siblings have come down quite a bit on the train and have had to learn how to navigate the transport system.
"The older girls took Bodhi out for the day when I was sick with COVID-19 so that is a real positive our kids have really thrived."
Pomonal resident Sandi Rickard has also started a GoFundMe which has raised $640, Halls Gap Motel has donated all staff tips (which the owners would match) for July and the family has received vouchers from Halls Gap Pub, Paper Scissors Rock and the Stawell Quilting Club created a quilt for Bodhi.
The Pomonal Primary School principal for several years has provided the family with the main source of income.
Since Bohdi's diagnosis, Mrs Whethers has had to take an extraordinary amount of leave making it hard to pay the bills at the family's farm.
"I have really appreciated all the kind words and help the community has provided us," she said.
"We feel really humbled by the people who have reached out and supported us over the journey."
To donate to Bodhi's GoFundMe page visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/wethers-family-bodhis-treatment-journey
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