10,000 swings for Very Special Kids

February 16, 2022

10,000 golf shots in 24 hours, might sound like a difficult feat, but for Very Special Kids’ parent, Trevor, it is a welcomed challenge to support his son Harry and fundraise for other families who are facing life-limiting childhood illnesses.  

Trevor and his friend Damien will be fundraising for Very Special Kids at the Curlewis Golf Range on Monday 21 February 2022 by taking 10,000 golf shots in 24 hours. They will be livestreaming the entire event on their Tredam Golf YouTube Channel and hope to raise $5,000 to help other Very Special Kids families, like his own.   

Trevor shares, “Throughout our journey, Very Special Kids have supported Harry and my entire family, so I really wanted to give back and help raise as much money as possible for this wonderful charity that helps so many families, including my own.” 

When Trevor and his wife Eileen were expecting their third son, they imagined the pregnancy would run like any other. However, during a routine pregnancy scan, they were given the news that their baby’s kidneys were larger than normal. 

Their son, Harry, had a condition called posterior urethral valves, which causes a blockage near the bladder leading to kidney swelling and damage. Harry was born eight-weeks premature, with severe kidney failure. 

“When Harry was born, he had less than 10% kidney function between the two. After two weeks in hospital the doctors told us that he’s not going to make it, and to start preparing for the fact that he wasn’t going to live,” says Trevor.  

Trevor and Eileen never gave up, they stayed by their son’s side and after four months in hospital, the family were finally able to bring Harry home. He was on dialysis until 2017, and when he was old enough his father Trevor donated his own kidney for Harry’s kidney transplant. This changed his life and now at nine-years-old, Harry is thriving.  

“It was a challenging time for my whole family, and we are so grateful Very Special Kids was there to support us. When we had the transplant, Very Special Kids put us up in an apartment near the hospital so that we could be close to Harry. It allowed myself and the kids to be there to support him. 

“It’s not often, a charity looks after the whole family of the people who have an illness. The impact on siblings is often forgotten, but we have two other kids that are going through the same thing and aren’t receiving the same level of attention as their brother. So, support for them and family days is something we can all look forward to together,” he says. 

This was the reason Trevor wanted to give back to Very Special Kids and decided to take on 10,000 shots in 24 hours at the Curlewis Golf Range. The challenge will be livestreamed for the entire 24 Hours, and Trevor shared that there will be some great prizes up for grabs every few hours.  

“We’ve got a round of golf for four at The Kew Golf Course, Lara Tyre and Battery are giving away $600 worth of tires, and there is plenty more prizes set to be announced during the event. I am so grateful to everyone who has supported, especially Curlewis Golf Range for hosting me and Damian for the 24 Hours so we can raise money for Very Special Kids.”  

“I look at the other families going through similar things to what we have been through, and my heart goes out to them. Fundraising can help other families like ours, receive the care and support they need. I am doing what I can to help these other families who are going through a tough time or worse than what we’ve been through. Every dollar counts.”  

If you would like to support Trevor, you can donate to his community fundraising page here. Or tune into the livestream on the Tredam Golf YouTube channel any time between 7pm Monday 21 February to 7pm Tuesday 22 February.