Thanks to services in Dubbo new residents Mark and Deborah Hanlon will be able to 'get their lives back' while also ensuring their son receives the proper care he deserves and needs.
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Mr and Mrs Hanlon moved to Dubbo in late November of last year with their son Mitchell Newman who is mentally and physically disabled and requires around the clock care.
"We lived in Sydney, and where we were, we were quite isolated," Mrs Hanlon said.
"We weren't able to get Mitchell access to services there, like respiratory.
"Because of this, we have had to care for Mitchell 24/7.
"We haven't able to have a weekend in four years."
Mr and Mrs Hanlon adopted Mr Newman, their biological nephew, at only six-weeks-old and have cared for, and loved him as their own ever since.
Mr Newman is now 28-years-of-age and progressively needs more care as he gets older.
"Our health started declining and my husband and I were both battling with depression.
"My daughter suggested we research the facilities in Dubbo, so we used everything we had to pack up and move.
Mrs Hanlon said at first she found the move really hard, and as the pandemic loomed it rendered the families ability to really settle into the new area.
"I wanted to pack up and leave," she said.
"We didn't really move at the best of times considering the current pandemic, and it was overwhelming."
But Mr Newman was able to access better service and seemed to be flourishing with the move, which made it all worthwhile to the family.
In an effort to alleviate some of the families stress, Mr Newman's support worker Lauren Jenkins started a GoFundMe page in an attempt to accumulate funds for the family for the purchase of a new car to aid in better transportation.
"Our support coordinator [Mrs Jenkins] is just beautiful and the services here have been amazing."
Mrs Hanlon said the couple doesn't want a flashy, fancy car, they only want 'something that is reliable to get them from a-to-b. Mrs Jenkins said Mr and Mrs Hanlon have never asked for anything and have loved Mr Newman unconditionally, which is why they are so deserving of the support.
"Buy purchasing a newer car to get around in, it means Mr and Mrs Hanlon will be able to travel a little more comfortably," Mrs Jenkins said.
Mrs Jenkins said she would love to be able to make this happen for them. Mrs Hanlon said caring for Mr Newman means that everything else financially had to go on hold, but the most important thing to them is ensuring his happiness.
"Thanks to these services in Dubbo my husband and I are able to get out a bit more and Mitchell has been doing really well," Mrs Hanlon said. "My husband said to me since being here, he's been feeling the best he's ever felt."
To support the Hanlons visit the GoFundMe page at gf.me/u/x2iuzu.