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Tuesday, 17 December, 2013
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.com.au Tuesday, 17 December,
2013 Page 1
Property ty Lift out
Wish for a smile By NATALIE GALLENTI-BREKALO
Hair stylist Dee Parker-Attwood with Callee and Debbie Petropoulos. Picture: SUPPLIED Last year Callee enjoyed one of her finest moments when she graduated from special school and she now attends an adult day centre where she undertakes literacy and numeracy programs and art courses. “Callee is a very happy girl, a very cheeky girl. She is just happy all the time.” However this year the close-knit family once again received shattering news when Jim was diagnosed with non hodgkin’s lymphoma for the second time. He is undergoing treatment and is trialling an innovating drug treatment that the family hopes will help him recover. And that is why both Debbie and Callee were overjoyed when they received the news that, not only were they going to enjoy a day of pampering together, but the family will soon enjoy a trip to Queensland. “It was just beautiful... the staff were amazing and fussing over us. “I just kept looking at Callee and the smile on her face... she just kept looking at me smiling.”
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Sweet presence CANDY canes and carols are in the air as Christmas comes ever closer. Taylors Lakes siblings Denten and Darleen are looking forward to opening the presents Santa will leave under their tree for 25 December. Other young Brimbank residents will be able to enjoy the festive season with plenty of programs and activities during the school holidays. The Brimbank Shopping Centre in Deer Park will hold free children’s activities between 11am and 2pm on Friday with a creative workshop in the Fresh Food Mall and face painting on Saturday. The Sunshine Community Brass Band and the Mozartini Orchestra will fill also perform at the centre. 110454 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
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A CAROLINE Springs teenager’s smile will be a little brighter this Christmas after she received some much-deserved pampering in the lead-up to the festive season. Callee Petropoulos, 19, and her adoring mother Debbie were recently treated to an indulgent makeover fit for a princess at Wieselmann of Toorak thanks to Make-A-Wish Australia. Callee suffers from aicardi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that is believed to only affect girls and is characterised by the partial or complete absence of a key structure in the brain, called the corpus callosum, the presence of retinal abnormalities, and seizures. Her parents Debbie and Jim received the devastating news when she was only one after she was admitted into hospital with what they thought was the flu. Debbie told Star a doctor saw little Callee sitting up in her cot and immediately realised something was wrong. “We just thought Callee was developing slowly,” she said. “A doctor was walking past and took one look at her and saw a turn in her eye... she had an MRI and we got the devastating news that she was missing the part of her brain that divides the left and right side.” The couple were told their daughter would never walk or talk and would probably only live to the age of 13. Nineteen years on and the Petropoulos family has enjoyed a loving a fulfilling life with Callee and her two older brothers. The teenager surprised everyone when she began walking at four and communicates through her iPad. She attends yearly specialist doctor appointments and takes medications.