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Bailey Daniel Tessier was born on the 12th March 2002 to Kerryn and Patrick. His short life brought Kerryn, Patrick, their families and friends an amazing little man who struck everyone he touched. Bailey’s love of everything was illuminated in his smile. He lit up every gathering he attended and he gave much more than anyone would have ever expected. Bailey was diagnosed with a brain tumour known as a Medulla Blastoma on Friday 13 February 2004, just weeks prior to his 2nd Birthday. The tumour was situated in his Temporal Lobe, giving symptoms of small complex partial seizures, in simple terms "noticeable staring". Bailey's paediatric surgeon Dr. Andrew Danks scheduled Bailey to have surgery on Tuesday 17 February. Bailey's condition deteriorated over the weekend and it was decided he should undergo the tumour resection early Monday 16 February. Bailey's operation took nine and a half hours, successfully removing forty percent of the tumour. Bailey's recovery was spectacular. On Saturday 22 February he walked the corridors of the hospital with his Mum and did not complain at all. On Wednesday 28 February Bailey was put into the care of Dr. Peter Downie, where they struck a unique relationship when Bailey jumped on his knee and insisted that Peter show him every toy in his office. The ensuing five months saw a beautiful bond develop between Bailey, Kerryn, Patrick and Peter working together to achieve a cure for his cancer. Bailey endured some nine surgical procedures, medication eight times a day and five intense chemotherapy sessions including one complete day hooked to a machine to harvest stem cells from his blood to aid his recovery from the effects of the heavy doses of chemotherapy. Bailey had a setback in June 2004 and suffered some terrible seizures. Peter ordered some MRI scans that showed Bailey's tumour had grown substantially and had travelled down his spine. On the 7th June Peter told Kerryn and Patrick that Bailey could not be cured and he had four to five weeks to live. Kerryn and Patrick made certain that this time would be as special as possible, Singing and dancing, Bailey chased his Mum up and down the hallways the night before 13 July 2004. He woke up that morning with a severe headache. At 11.40pm Bailey passed away in Kerryn's arms Whilst Bailey is not here now, his memory becomes a legacy and Kerryn and Patrick are committed to improve the chances of the many little Baileys who exist today. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Contact Patrick: patrick@baileysday.com.au |
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BAILEY'S DAY 2006 |