Actress and model Erin McNaught reveals baby son has been diagnosed with a brain tumour
Former Neighbours star Erin McNaught and her partner Stasi Kotaras have revealed their baby son, Obi, has been diagnosed with a large brain tumour.
McNaught, 43, shared the heartbreaking news on social media.
'For the last few weeks we have noticed a rapid decline in Obi's behaviour and happiness,' McNaught said of her eight-month-old son.
'He was having problems eating, sleeping and most recently, keeping his head straight.'
McNaught and Kotaras took Obi to hospital where an MRI led to the tumour being diagnosed.
'About 6pm Tuesday we met with a neurosurgeon who broke the heartbreaking news that Obi has a large tumour on the right side of his brain,' McNaught said.
'We are absolutely shattered and the last few days have been our hardest days.
'Our team at Queensland Children's Hospital have been incredible and we remain hopeful that we can remove the mass and get Obi healthy and happy, pending the results.
'We have a long and difficult road ahead us but are so lucky to have our family and friends' support at this time and we're keeping focused on getting our little boy back.'
McNaught, who has also appeared in SAS Australia, has two other children with UK rapper Example, real name Elliot John Gleave, who offered his support to his ex.
'You got this,' Example wrote. in reply to McNaught's post.
Melbourne-based psycho-sexologist Chantelle Otten also commented, saying: 'Oh, my heart just dropped. Sending love and strength.
'Heartbreaking, he will pull through, kids are tougher than we realise! Sending thoughts and prayers and absolute positive vibes for you all.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
12 hours ago
- Sky News AU
AFL WAG Kellie Finlayson reveals devastating moment she begged nurses to 'turn off the machines' keeping her alive during battle with stage four cancer
AFL WAG Kellie Finlayson has revealed the heartbreaking mental toll of her terminal cancer diagnosis, bravely sharing that she once "asked nurses to turn off the machines" keeping her alive. The 29-year-old former maths teacher and wife of Port Adelaide player Jeremy Finlayson was first diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer in 2021, just three months after welcoming their daughter Sophia. In late 2022, Kellie's diagnosis became terminal when the cancer spread to her lungs. She reflects on her journey in her new memoir, There Must Be More: Finding Purpose in the Face of the Unimaginable. Speaking to Woman's Day on Monday, Kellie discussed the darkest moment detailed in the book, a time she admits she "didn't want to wake up". "I talk about the days I didn't want to wake up and a time I asked nurses to turn off the machines," she said. "There are emotions there Jeremy didn't even know I had." Finlayson said publishing the book, released on April 29, was daunting but ultimately rewarding. "It was a very naked feeling when it was released but it's also the best thing I've ever done. People can understand where I've been." The Adelaide-based mum has also taken to social media to discuss her work with Speak & Share, a mental health organisation promoting open conversations and emotional wellbeing. "I very quickly realised it's not just your body you have to fight for, but your mind too," she said in a video for the charity, shared on Friday. 'In the first few months (after diagnosis), I learnt to check in. Not just on my health, but most importantly on myself." Since her diagnosis, Kellie has become a passionate advocate for bowel cancer awareness, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and a growing concern for young people. According to Cancer Council Australia, over 15,500 new cases of bowel cancer were diagnosed last year, with nearly ten new cases daily now occurring in Australians aged 50 and under. "Bowel cancer can be an uncomfortable and morbid topic of conversation, but they're conversations we need to be having," Kellie, who co-hosts the Sh!t Talkers podcast and serves as an ambassador for the Jodi Lee Foundation, told Body+Soul in April. "I didn't know that 15,500 people are diagnosed every year in Australia, until I became one of those people. "Cancer doesn't discriminate- it doesn't matter if you're young, old, rich, poor, fit or not," she said. Just weeks before her book launch, she underwent Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) to remove metastatic tissue from her right lung. "Just over a week ago I was having a VATS wedge resection on my right lung to remove Mets and send off tissue to pathology in hope for more answers/better treatment plans," she wrote on Instagram. "I've had soooo many people checking in to see how I'm doing, thankyou!!! and honestly, I'm so fine. "Which I know is incredible given the major surgery I've just undergone, and I know not everyone is as lucky." She added: "But hey, I'll take the wins when I can get them in this never ending experience."
ABC News
20 hours ago
- ABC News
NDIS pricing changes 'incredibly cruel' says remote mobile therapy provider
Allowance cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme could see therapists forced to cancel their programs or charge clients more, according to a regional physiotherapist. The NDIS released its annual pricing review last week, revealing a reduction in the hourly rate for certain allied health therapies from July 1. The travel rates charged by allied health professionals will be cut by half. Helen Lowe is the director of Through Life Physio in Warragul, about 90 minutes south-east of Melbourne. She said the changes had come as a "complete shock" and would directly impact rural and regional therapy providers and their clients. An NDIS spokesperson said the changes brought the prices paid by NDIS clients into line with those paid through other schemes like Medicare or private health insurance. But Ms Lowe said the services provided to NDIS participants cost more because they were more complex and required longer appointments compared with standard physiotherapy services provided to regular patients. By benchmarking costs against standard therapy services, Ms Lowe said the NDIS had "simply done the maths wrong". She said allied health professionals working on NDIS cases were already underpaid compared to others, and for her business the changes would result in a loss of $34,000 a year. Keryn Smith is a Warragul resident living with an acquired brain injury. She has been working with Ms Lowe for 13 years, and in that time she said she had been able to regain some control and function over her muscle movements and balance. Using a walking frame she is now able to walk with slight support. "Physio changed my life," she said. Ms Smith said she too was disappointed about the changes to physiotherapy pricing, which could mean she has to reduce the amount she undertakes each week. "I'm p*ssed off. Physio has been important, [but] the NDIS thinks physio is unimportant," she said. "If I didn't have physio I couldn't live here by myself."' Ms Lowe's business employs eight practitioners who travel around West Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley, visiting clients at schools, kindergartens and in their homes. She said travel was essential for the team. "To do good disability physiotherapy you need to go where people are, not just bring them into your comfortable clinic," she said. She believes many allied health businesses in rural and regional areas would simply cancel appointments if they were unable to bear the new costs. She is now struggling to make a choice — charging a gap fee to NDIS clients that they will need to pay out of their own pocket, or face losing more than $30,000 a year. She said she was unable to absorb the cost through her business and clients with disability on limited incomes would be unable to pay any extra. "It's such an insult to us as practitioners that the NDIS thinks this is OK, and it is incredibly cruel on NDIS participants," Ms Lowe said. Gippsland Disability Advocacy chief executive Leanne Wishart said NDIS participants living in regional, rural and remote Gippsland already faced additional disadvantages due to their distance from services. Already she knows of a provider who has notified its clients that it will no longer be able to provide services to them due to not being able to recoup the costs. She said it was likely other providers would follow suit. "Effectively this creates an even greater inequity in access to NDIS services and breaches the rights of people with disability living in regional, rural and remote areas to have equal access to services," Ms Wishart said. "It's outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the United Nations Rights of Persons with Disabilities." In a statement, a spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency said this year's pricing review had been benchmarked with fees paid through Medicare, private health insurance and other government schemes. "In some cases, the data showed NDIS price limits significantly exceeded the market rate by up to 68 per cent," the spokesperson said. They added that participants had told the NDIS that "excessive travel claims" ate into their plans. "For participants living in remote areas, therapists can receive a 40 per cent above rate price for services and this loading is 50 per cent for therapy provided in very remote areas."
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
A medicine shortage is heaping undue stress on schoolkids like Alon
'The school has been very supportive, and we haven't had any phone calls going 'this is ridiculous', but in terms of his marks, even just he gets a little disappointed in himself because he wants to do better and he wants to finish the math test, and he just couldn't concentrate,' she says. 'It's not because he's aiming to be annoying and waste time in class.' While many schools are understanding and work with students with ADHD, the medication shortage is creating an extra layer of stress for families with children with additional needs, according to development pediatrician Dr Suzi Riess. Riess, who treats children with behavioural issues, says the scarcity of Concerta is increasing demand for other medications and causing further shortages. She says more doctors are having to find alternatives but they must be cautious when switching medications. 'You have to be able to start low [with dosage] and go up slowly, and for families it's very stressful to navigate that,' Riess explains. 'I've had families who have finally found a good combination of medication, and it's been really hard for them because they've experienced the benefit.' For those living regionally or in outer suburbs, that can mean driving to multiple pharmacies to find the medication they need. It's also important for schools to be able to respond to changes in the behaviour of children, according to University of Melbourne associate professor of education Matthew Harrison. Harrison, who specialises in inclusive education, helps train teachers on how to work with neurodivergent kids and also has ADHD himself. 'For teachers who are trying to plan supports for young people, if someone's needs are changing based on whether they're medicated or not, it can be really stressful,' Harrison says. 'It's difficult for teachers, it's difficult for the parents, and of course, it's most difficult for the young people themselves.' He says for many neurodivergent students, medication also helps them socially – not just in the classroom. It can also allow them to be more engaged and present. Harrison says it is important that schools foster calm, predictable environments. 'It's having routines and systems in place, even things about what happens when we arrive at school, what happens when we enter the classroom,' he suggests. Loading Fostering positive relationships between teachers and their students is key, so when young people are struggling they can be open about it, he says. '[Neurodivergent] kids have to feel safe and happy first before they're learning.' Sydney-based mum and accredited ADHD coach Sharon Collon agrees, and says she has seen a surge in parents raising concerns about limited medication supply. 'We're having increase of more challenging behaviours at home and school environment,' she says. 'We are seeing increased levels of distress.' Collon says her husband and three sons all have ADHD, and finding the 'holy grail' of medication meant going through a lot of trial and error. 'Everyone is unique, and some medications can make their behaviour worse or have negative side effects, so when you finally find the one that works for your child … to then have to stop it or swap it for another because of a shortage, it causes so much stress for families.' One of her sons, whose ADHD had been well managed, had to switch from a medicine that was scarce. 'He got suspended twice in one week.' She says it was also a blow to his self-esteem: he wanted to do well and had never faced disciplinary action at school. 'And it was all because he hadn't had the right medication at that time.' Collon says teachers supporting students with neurodiversity were struggling with medication disruptions but she urged them to opt for 'connection'. 'You can't discipline ADHD out of a child, and anytime someone tries to do that all it does is cause shame,' she says. Kids may need to move more or go for 'brain breaks' where they go for a short walk. They may also need additional supports like visual cues. Many schools and teachers are already doing what they can, she explains, but it's important for them to communicate with parents about what's going on. Mum Nadine Barkay is already concerned about what happens next for Alon. 'My community chemist has run out of Ritalin ... and they don't have a due date for it,' she says. They eventually found it at another pharmacy, but the shortage is prompting the family to consider what to do next. The Department of Education was asked if it was aware of the shortages. 'Schools ensure that every student is able to attend and learn in a safe environment, regardless of a student's medical condition,' a spokesperson said in a statement.
