Generosity helps little Ivy

Playing happily with her building blocks, Albany infant Ivy Smith shows no signs of the struggles she faced in her first year of life.

Ivy had a serious bowel obstruction, meconium ileus, which occurs in 15 per cent of newborns with cystic fibrosis, when she was three days old.

Ivy was flown to Princess Margaret Hospital and spent her first two months in the neonatal intensive care unit and underwent two operations to clear the blockage.

Her mother, Zoe Cummings, 21, said she knew nothing about cystic fibrosis before Ivy's diagnosis two weeks after she was born.

The genetic lung disorder affects one in every 2000 Australian babies, causing breathing difficulties and frequent lung infections.

Ms Cummings said it was a stressful start to parenthood for her and Ivy's father, Ethan Smith.

Ivy has had eight operations so far, and her ongoing treatment requires two hours of massage to loosen mucus on her lungs each day, visits to PMH every three months for check-ups and to update her medication, and a yearly bronchoscopy to examine any damage.

"It does get hard," Ms Cummings said.

"I can't work a full-time job because I need to look after her because she gets sick so often."

The Yakamia family receives a rebate from Cystic Fibrosis WA for each medical trip to Perth, which Ms Cummings said was a big help.

Ivy is also part of the Telethon Kids Institute's cystic fibrosis research program, the Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for Cystic Fibrosis, and is contributing data to their study which aims to prevent or delay the onset of lung disease in children with the disorder.

To donate to Telethon during their annual fundraising campaign this weekend and help sick and injured children, call 1300 737 507.

WA Regional Newspapers is a sponsor of Telethon.