A tragic loss for the Fowler family has motivated a challenging journey to boost the number of paediatric palliative care facilities across the country.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After losing their 17-month-old son to terminal illness less than two years ago, Ryan and Karen Fowler have organised a 1900km bicycle ride to raise money for Rio's Legacy, a foundation in his name.
Rio's Ride pulled into Wagga this afternoon on the 13th day of their journey, with Mr Fowler and three other cyclists in the convoy.
"This ride has been challenging, it's not been all smooth sailing so to speak but we've made it so far reasonably unscathed," Mr Fowler said.
"On the whole, planning the ride was one of the easier aspects.
"When we lost Rio we started the foundation quite soon after and that was difficult but also a big part of the healing process for both of us because we wanted to be a part of the system changing, through raising money and raising awareness."
So far Rio's Legacy has raised $300,000, seeing the ride travel from Adelaide to Melbourne and Hobart, through regional Victoria and will head off to Young tomorrow before returning to Bear Cottage in Manly - the hospice Rio spent his last days in.
"It all happened so quick with Rio, he got gastro one night and then never came home," Mr Fowler said.
"It was scary as a Dad, I wanted to protect my boy and what I've known or understood about palliative care is that it isn't a pleasant place.
"It's where you go to die so I was a bit in denial and I didn't want him to go, but then when we found out more about Bear Cottage and we realised it wasn't about waiting to die, it was a place to live and make the most of the time we had left."
Currently, there are only three paediatric hospices in Australia, each with eight beds - a service Mrs Fowler said is unacceptable.
"People are either surrounded by the stress and anxiety of a hospital in what is already a traumatic time in their lives, trying to cherish the little time they have left with their child, or they have their child at home unsupported and unsure of what to do," she said.
"We were so lucky to have had the support of Bear Cottage, we were able to sleep under the same roof in the same room as Rio and be a family before we lost a family member forever.
"That's a big part of what this is about, we need government support to change the services available and we are here to put a face to the cause."