Speech therapy for Stella

Jaimi Willersdorf and her family live in the picturesque regional town of Murrayville, in north-western Victoria. It’s an idyllic area, but after an audio test revealed Jaimi’s five-year-old daughter Stella was having significant trouble with her hearing, she knew that finding help wouldn’t be easy.

Murrayville has a population of just 280 people, and is two hours away from the nearest regional centre of Mildura.

Stella’s testing revealed that she needed special assistance with her speech to help prepare her for school or she would be starting her education from a difficult position. However there was no speech pathologist in Murrayville, and seeing a specialist in Mildura on a fortnightly basis for months on end was a huge challenge for the busy family.

When Jaimi and her family heard that the Flying Doctor was rolling out speech pathology for children aged 0-12 years old in the Mallee region, they were incredibly relieved. 

“With the Flying Doctor, you’re not just another number. It really feels like they’re there for you, they want the best for you, and they’re genuinely interested in you,” says Jaimi.

People in remote areas like Jaimi and Stella are extremely grateful that the RFDS' generous supporters enable them to access medical care no matter where they are.

“Thank you so much for providing this fantastic opportunity for us. It’s been so wonderful for us in an area like this where we don’t have many services or it can be very difficult to go away to see specialists. And I know that’s coming from a lot of people here too. It’s hard to put into words - the appreciation that we have,” says Jaimi.