06/08/2026
To all my followers as you know from my posts my grandson Little Cowboy Kayce had his life saving Surgery yesterday and for that we are extremely grateful but now starts the whole financial part of his life long health and wellbeing and the out of pocket expense
At each market I will have a silver cauldron on my table for any donations
Please HELP with the cost of Little Cowboy Kayce’s (and his Sister Runa Mae) cost of Warfarin and INR strips approx $4000 per year for both
From the Heart of a Mee~Maa & Paa ❤️
Our little cowboy has made it through the biggest fight of his life.
Kayce now has his beautiful little heart beating with a mechanical mitral valve, and for that we are forever grateful to the incredible cardiac team who gave him the chance to grow up.
But this is not the end of our journey…
This is the beginning of a lifetime of keeping him safe.
Every single day, Kayce will need Warfarin, and every single day we will need to make sure his blood is “just right.”
Too thick, and a clot could form in his mechanical valve.
Too thin, and he could suffer life-threatening internal bleeding.
The only way to know is by using INR testing strips.
These tiny strips are literally lifesavers.
The heartbreaking part is they cost over $137 for just 24 strips, and they are not covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) or subsidised in any meaningful way.
Families like ours have no choice—we simply have to find the money.
It breaks my heart that something so vital to keeping children alive is treated like a luxury rather than a necessity.
If people living with diabetes can receive free or heavily subsidised testing strips because they are essential to managing their condition, I truly hope one day families living with mechanical heart valves will receive the same support.
Each INR strip costs about the same as a daily coffee or hot chocolate, but for Kayce, that little strip tells us whether his blood is safe enough for him to laugh, play, grow, and simply be a little boy.
Many people don’t realise this isn’t just about Kayce.
His big sister, Miss Cutie Patootie Runa Mae, had her own mechanical mitral valve replacement on 5 August 2019—almost exactly seven years before her baby brother’s surgery.
For seven years our family has quietly paid more than $2,000 every year for Runa’s INR testing strips.
Now we have two beautiful grandchildren who will both rely on these strips for the rest of their lives.
As their Mee~Maa & Paa, we can’t just sit quietly and accept that.
Mee~Maa will be writing to the Federal Health Minister, the PBS, and anyone else who will listen until these lifesaving strips become affordable for every Australian family who needs them.
If you are able to donate, no matter how small the amount, it will help us buy the medication and testing supplies that Kayce needs to stay healthy.
If you can’t donate, please don’t feel bad. Sharing Kayce’s story may help it reach someone who can.
Every donation.
Every share.
Every kind word.
Every prayer.
They all remind our family that we are not walking this journey alone.
From the bottom of this Mee~Maa & Paa’s heart…
Thank you for loving our little cowboy, for cheering him on, and for helping us give both of our little heart warriors the healthiest future possible.
With love and endless gratitude,
Mee~Maa & Paa
To donate
Julie A Pillow
064 792
1009 8410
We do have a go fund me page but obviously we would like the whole amount t to go to Kayce and Runa Mae
Please please share it may reach someone who can truly make a difference also
From the Heart of a Mee~Maa ❤️ Our little cowboy has made it through t… JULIE PILLOW needs your support for ❤️ HELP Little Cowboy Kayce with medical expenses
