A Case of Beauty! xx: Ladies Charity Brunch 4 A.S.D Kids

Being a mother is the most rewarding role in the world. The love you experience from your little bundle of joy makes non-believers believe, the loveless- love, the lost- found and the hardest eyes soften. Children have a magic about them that surpasses any fairy tale ever. Being a mother can be trying but the love you experience is worth it a thousand times over. With this great love comes great responsibility. You can say it is a mothers worst nightmare if something is to ever go 'wrong' with your child and from the tears in Chloe Maxwell’s eyes this one morning in Sanctuary Cove as she reminisced about the time she thought she had entered into a nightmare, it unfortunately showed that this fear can sometimes be all too real. The initial fear of the unknown for her beloved son Max as she and her family started noticing a change which at the time did not seem for the better. The initial denial and defensive stance she took all while never wanting to contemplate that there was ever something that she did not understand going on with her first born. Gentle persuasion and patience from Mat and family got Chloe to the point where a visit to a paediatrician was undertaken and Max was diagnosed with Autism.

4 ASD Kids - Rogers Family (9 News) from 4 ASD Kids on Vimeo.

Different people deal with such news in different ways. An autism advocacy organization reports that the divorce rate within the autism community is staggering. According to its research, 80% of all marriages end. Lucky for Mat and Chloe this was not the case. They banded together and rather than continuing to fear the unknown they took the proactive stance and educated themselves. Chloe buried herself in books. She wanted to know everything she possibly could so she could do whatever it took to help her Max. For those of you who don’t know much about Autism here is a snippet from Wikipedia:

“Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviour. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood. It is one of three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (commonly abbreviated as PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met.

Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by rare mutations, or by rare combinations of common genetic variants. The prevalence of autism is about 1–2 per 1,000 people worldwide; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports an approximate of 9 per 1,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with ASD.

Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. The signs usually develop gradually, but some autistic children first develop more normally and then regress. Although there is no known cure, early behavioural or cognitive intervention can help autistic children gain self-care, social, and communication skills.”

After a lot of expensive therapies ranging from speech to physio Max is improving in leaps and bounds. Seeing the results Max has got from the intensive therapies Chloe and Mat decided to go public with Max’s Autism and start a charity to help families pay for the expensive yet effective therapies. 4 A.S.D Kids now raises money and awareness for the Autism community in Australia. The most recent of their fundraising efforts was a charity weekend in Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast. The first event, starting on the Friday, was Mat’s golf day then a beach party by the lagoon pool at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove that night. On Saturday there was the Chloe and friends Ladies Brunch, a Gala Ball that evening and finally finishing with Carols by candle light on the Sunday afternoon with Guy Sebastian. I was fortunate enough to be asked to come along by a talented friend from the brilliant events management company Limetree events and cover the Ladies Brunch.

The brunch was held at the renowned Hyatt Regency and was hosted by the very quick witted Sandra Sully! Sandra was the funniest and most well-spoken host I had seen in while. When we arrived we were given Champagne (it’s not a brunch without Champagne!) and we sat at our tables laden with pastries, cakes, scones and sandwiches. Everyone looked amazing in their summer brunch dresses! The special guests were Charlotte Dawson, Corrine Grant and of course Chloe Maxwell.

Corinne (who looked amazing!) spoke about her new book ‘Lessons In Letting Go; Confessions of a Hoarder’ and her possible T.V reality show she shot a pilot for in the USA to help people let go and stop hoarding of course all the while making us laugh! Charlotte spoke about being comfortable in your own skin and empowering young women to love themselves, have a healthy respect for their body, understand exercise is a part of life and starving yourself is not the way to go. She said nutrition and exercise should all be a part of the school curriculum. Naturally Australia's next top model was brought up and Charlotte explained how it was a terrible mistake and they had no idea until the next morning about the media circus that ensued.

Chloe told her story about Max and how 4 A.S.D Kids is helping Australian families pay for the therapy and education to ensure the Children have the best possible chance at fulfilling their potential. The honest and raw emotion from Chloe as she spoke was admirable and had the whole room tearing up. “Your heart breaks for the kids and bleeds for the families” Chloe said when talking about the strain families can endure when the children are first diagnosed due to the fear of the unknown and then the financial hardship that can ensue due to the therapies costing easily up to $50,000 a year. “You only get $12,000 worth of assistance from the government over a two year period and that doesn't even touch the sides”. Mat and Chloe were able to help 4 Children last year and were hoping to surpass last years fundraising efforts so they can help even more families this year.

We were also treated to a lovely fashion showcase with JettRoc children’s wear by local designer Deb Tranter, 2 Chillies Swimwear, Gowns of Elegance, Intimate Secrets and Lisa Brown.

Overall the whole weekend was a success and Mat and Chloe managed to raise over $200,000 which will help even more children this year! Check out the video below to see the families that were sponsored by 4 A.S.D Kids last year. Beautifully touching stories.