Corporate News

The Armstrong Creek boy was born with multiple internal organs, including the liver, spleen and parts of his bowel, outside his body in a rare condition called omphalocele.

At just 12 weeks gestation his mother Amy Gellie was warned by doctors that they didn’t expect him to live.

She was advised to terminate the pregnancy.

“It was horrendous,” Mrs Gellie, a pastor, said.

“But we stuck true to what we believe, our faith was a big part of that.

“It was very scary and I don’t envy any parent being told that.

“You hear all the stats and facts but hope you’ll be different.”

Sam was in neonatal intensive care at the Royal Children’s Hospital for four months when he was born.

The organs, which were functioning, sat outside his body for seven years.

When he was born they were in a thin membrane, and in his first year of life skin grew over it with the help of medicos, Mrs Gellie said.

The protruding mass was referred to as his “bump”.

For his the first year of his life he required oxygen support most of the time, and until he was three and a half had a feeding tube.

But this did not stop him being a happy and playful baby and toddler.

In the lead-up to Sam’s major surgery medicos enlarged his stomach so it could accommodate the exterior organs, which had been growing in size since birth in tandem with his overall growth.

“They placed four tissue expanders, kind of balloons, in him around the bump and over eight months, with injections every week, they created space by expanding his abdomen.’’

When he was seven years old, the bump was operated on successfully in a three-and-a-half hour procedure.

Mrs Gellie said doctors’ ability to place Sam’s organs in his abdomen was nothing short of a “total miracle”.

Sam knows he has defied the odds and the sporty, active boy is loving life and living as a normal kid, playing footy for South Barwon and basketball.

The support of the Royal Children’s Hospital was phenomenal, Mrs Gellie said.

The annual Good Friday Appeal raises funds for the hospital, located in Melbourne.

Villawood’s giant letters spelling out ‘For the Kids’ on the Surf Coast Highway at Mount Duneed are all about the house-land package which it and builder Henley Homes have donated to the cause – with the help of 150 tradies and suppliers who donated their time and materials.

The Good Friday Appeal house auction fundraiser will take place at Villawood Properties’ Coridale community in Lara on Friday.

The fully furnished four-bedroom house, at 83 Coridale Boulevard, Lara is directly opposite Villawood’s Club Coridale with has amenities including a pool and gym.

Originally Published in the Herald Sun 04/04/2023