Qld floods: Gold Coast family lose belongings weeks after unimaginable tragedy
A distraught Gold Coast family has lost almost all of their belongings in the floods just three weeks after an unimaginable tragedy. HOW YOU CAN HELP
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A Gold Coast family is struggling to come to terms with the unimaginable tragedy of losing all their belongings in the floods just three weeks after their infant son died.
The wider community has rallied around the devastated family, raising more than $20,000 for them in less than 24 hours.
Ashleigh Binney, her husband Lonni Mahony and daughter Tully moved from the Coast to Oxley late last year to be closer to medical services after their unborn son Sidney was diagnosed with a heart condition.
Their baby boy was born with a hypoplastic left heart and had open heart surgery at just six days old.
But sadly, little Sidney would never make it home after he succumbed to complications from surgery at just six weeks of age.
Ashleigh and Lonni were still grieving the loss of their son when the floodwaters started to rise at their Oxley home early Sunday.
Within hours, the home they had only purchased months before was inundated.
The family was forced to evacuate, taking only the essentials and sentimental items such as their son’s ashes.
Ms Binney said the house was insured but their contents were not.
“We knew that Oxley flooded, but they said it happened every 40 years,” the distraught mum said.
“We didn’t think the water would enter our house. We don’t feel lucky right now.”
After losing almost all of their belongings, the family has relocated back to the Gold Coast as they struggle to accept the double tragedy.
They are now trying to rebuild their lives while living in Ms Binney’s mother’s vacant Carrara property.
She said the hardest part of the ordeal was dealing with the concept of losing their sense of home.
“It’s hard enough to go home after you lose your baby and try to make sense of who you are and what your life is.
“We were already struggling so much with coming home without (Sidney).
“It’s the concept of our home being gone that is hard, rather than losing everything in it.”
But the overwhelming generosity of complete strangers has lifted the family’s spirits.
More than $20,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe page set up by Ashleigh’s sister to replace the family’s belongings.
Any donations not used will be donated to HeartKids Australia.
Ms Binney thanked the community for their support, saying the ordeal had left her awestruck.
“We’re continuously humbled by how compassionate people are,” she said.
“We’ve been stripped back to the simple things of generosity and love – they are really the most important things you can have.”
To support the online fundraiser, visit:
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Originally published as Qld floods: Gold Coast family lose belongings weeks after unimaginable tragedy
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