Horizon 112 (PDF 3 MB) - Scope

Thanking our community
Give the gift of respite
Tony Saffigna with his daughters Glenys and Tegan.
Your tax deductible gift can mean extraordinary things. Tony Saffigna
shares how the support of Scope’s respite services means the world to
him and his family.
“My daughters Tegan and Glenys are
very special girls. They are miracles.
My wife Judith was just five months
pregnant when she was rushed to
hospital for an emergency caesarean.
That day changed our lives forever,
and was the start of our twins’ difficult
journey in life. There isn’t a lot I
remember from this chaotic night, but
I remember when the specialist sat
down with me to explain that the girls
would have numerous disabilities and
global development delay.
When we found out that Tegan and
Glenys were born with disabilities, we
were devastated and didn’t know how
to help them. We felt so frightened for
the future – how would we give them a
happy life? The reality of what we were
facing hit us, but we agreed to not dwell
on the negatives - however difficult.
14 www.scopevic.org.au
In 2009 my wife passed away.
Losing my wife had a real impact as I
struggled to come to terms with my
own grief. Judith had been the main
carer and suddenly I had to take over.
Both girls, and their older brother
Dylan, found it very difficult to come
to terms with the loss of their mother.
It was at this breaking point that
I turned to the support of Scope.
The girls started to attend Scope’s
respite service, Scope Montclair
family support. It just dawned on
me that I couldn’t continue alone.
I needed support and I needed
to have a break and recharge the
batteries so that I could recover
sufficiently to look after them when
they were at home. Respite is really
important. I realised that without this
respite I would become depressed,
tired and angry and this wouldn’t
help anyone.
Glenys and Tegan are now 14 years
old. Some days are very difficult and
on other days it is so heart warming
and inspiring. The girls have a happy
and fulfilling life, that’s all you want
for your children. I can’t thank the
wonderful team at Scope enough for
helping take such wonderful care of
my girls.”
Scope needs your support to ensure
we can continue making a positive
difference in the lives of families who
care for children with a disability.
To support Scope please visit
www.scopevic.org.au or call
1800 815 768.