Meet Louise

“ It doesn’t matter what you plan, Rob and I never realised this was going to happen. We got married and we were discussing our life together and we were expecting to live to our 90s as an old couple sitting on a veranda.”

Louise always took pride in creating a happy home for herself, husband, and four kids. She and her husband Rob worked hard until their life was derailed when he fell gravely ill. Rob had been unable to work since having a heart attack in 2009, and further health complications took their toll, right up until his death in 2016. 

To make matters worse, Louise was informed two of her children had the same congenital condition that Rob had suffered from. The medical expenses started to add up and the weight of going from two working incomes to none suddenly became an enormous financial struggle.

Her eldest son, Nathan, remembers: “Although Mum tries to hide the money side of things, I knew. As a typical older sibling, I would have to go without, so my siblings could take food to school. I’d always be trying to explain to them why they couldn’t have a treat – we needed the money.”

While Nathan cut back where he could, his mum was skipping meals.  “I would go without to feed the kids,” said Louise.

Dealing with the loss of her husband, and her kids with the loss of their dad, the last thing Louise wanted was for her children to be aware of how hard she was struggling financially.

“To me, that’s not part of being a kid. You don’t need to have that worry. You need to feel safe, secure and loved. I don’t want them to worry about how I’m going to pay bills, or how I am going to feed them.”

After years of working as a nurse and never needing help before, Louise was encouraged to seek food relief by a friend who volunteered at a local charity.

“It was an extremely tough decision to swallow my pride and admit I need help. We were extremely stunned, really. I think it was a moment of, oh my god, that’s too much. There are other people out there that need it, it’s too much, we can’t take all this, you know?”

Louise wanted to say thanks for your support. Please watch her special message below.