MY SAY: Sometimes we forget not everyone is as lucky as us

"A girlfriend of mine was in tears last week. I gave Niki a hug and offered to buy her some nappies for her 21-year-old boy."

IS IT just me or does everyone think it's a good idea to look around every once in a while and really see what's really going on?

A girlfriend of mine was in tears last week.

Niki is a single mother to a young man with multiple disabilites. Niki normally copes like a boss.

And that's a problem. Because everyone thinks Niki is doing fine, it's easy to lose sight of how tough her life is.

I don't think we have any idea what she goes through every day.

Every once in a while Niki admits she can be lonely, overwhelmed and short of money.

I gave Niki a hug and offered to buy her some nappies for her 21-year-old boy.

That's right, parenting really is forever when your baby is disabled.

Niki didn't take my money. I knew she wouldn't but it was a good reminder for me, not everyone's life is as cushy as mine.

It's not always easy to help families like Niki's.

They are so used to just getting on with life, they rarely look up for help.

But a group of local surfers has a plan you might like.

The Board Meeting, which holds a couple of big surfing events every year to help families of disabled kids, has launched The Guardian Program.

It's an opportunity to sponsor a local kid, in the same way we would sponsor an overseas child.

At The Guardian launch we heard harrowing stories of family breakdown, grandparents up all night cleaning faeces off walls, mum's having their hair literally ripped from their head by autistic kids lashing out and children who need wheelchairs their parents can't afford.

Every day is a battle for these families and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Disabled kids don't turn 18 and leave home.

Some babies are forever.

The Board Meeting hopes to find 50 guardians - be they individuals, businesses or other organisations - to commit to donating $250 a month for a year.

You should know The Board Meeting is run entirely by volunteers, every dollar donated goes to the families.

The Board Meeting will use the money in the most practical way possible. A working bee to build a safe room for a child who suffers violent outbursts.

Respite care for a couple who needs some time out to save their marriage. Equipment to help a brave kid struggling to walk. An iPad to give a voice to someone who can't talk.

Those items might sound like essentials to you and I but none of them are covered by government.

The Board Meeting only deals with families who have exhausted all other avenues.

My friend, local paediatrician Dr Heidi Webster, gets tears in her eyes when she talks about the lives The Board Meeting has changed on the Coast.

If you would like to find out more and maybe get a syndicate together, go to http://www.theboardmeeting.org.au.

All the details are there including details of families who need help.

I am so lucky to have three healthy, physically-abled kids. Maybe you do too. We should never take that for granted.