Bobby Makes Me So Proud Every Day

Elise Webber was told to expect the worst for her little boy, but he was about to surprise everyone...

 

- Krishna Beanland & Riah Matthews

My son Bobby is a smiley three-year-old who loves cars and trucks, and singing along to The Wiggles on TV. You might think he’s an ordinary toddler, but he has a specific set of needs that make him unique. You see, Bobby is blind, quadriplegic, epileptic and has cerebral palsy. He’s so brave, but watching him struggle makes my heart ache. and what’s even more painful is that my son wasn’t born with these problems. The truth is, he was the victim of a horrific attack – by someone who was meant to love him…

Three years ago, I lived a happy, albeit ordinary life. While my partner, Barry, worked in construction, I was a stay-at-home mum to our children, Olivia, then four, and Bobby, seven months. With my older sister Casey, and Andrew, her fiancé, living close by, we would spend most weekends together either kayaking, or at the local park.

I never had to worry about the children getting bored – not with their favourite Uncle Andrew around. He was the first to volunteer to kick a ball with Olivia – his goddaughter – or play peekaboo with Bobby. So after Barry and I were married in September 2014, it seemed natural to leave the children with Casey and Andrew while we went on our honeymoon to Queensland, just a short one-hour flight away from our home in Sydney, Australia.

Waking to a nightmare