January 14th, 2026Hope for Phoebe – Event Postponed

Single mum Emily Burke has been thrown into an arena no parent ever wants to even contemplate. Her daughter Phoebe, who turns three in March, was born with congenital heart disease along with a rare condition that meant she couldn’t swallow because her oesophagus wasn’t connected to her stomach.
This meant a long time in hospital and myriad surgeries for the first year of life.
In January last year there was more heart surgery and Emily realised Phoebe was not waking up properly with what seemed like seizures. But it turned out she was missing a portal vein, which takes blood from the stomach and intestines through to the liver to be filtered before it goes around the rest of the body and the brain. In basic terms her brain was being poisoned by toxins. And Emily says it’s very, very rare.
“Phoebe was born with it but although there were signs no one picked it up because it’s just not something that’s seen often at all. It’s very complicated and very tricky to fix. I started doing a bit of a deep dive into the internet and found a surgeon overseas who’s done about 120 cases of these. In Australia they’re not very confident that the procedure will work for Phoebe so that’s why I found this surgeon and a lot of people within this tiny little community recommended him as well. I want the best for Phobe and she’s been through so much.”
Of course, the cost for overseas surgery is not covered through any insurance or government funding, so Emily started, hesitantly, raising the money needed. About $250,000. In September she opened a GoFundMe page and also reached out to Madalyn Children’s Foundation who are on board. Then there’s lots of fundraisers including a Family Fun Day at Harcourt Valley Winery on Sunday, January 25 from noon to 4pm. (*See below.)
A gold coin donation will get the family in, and then there will be plenty of free activities, and a few for small amounts. There are raffles and auctions which many businesses, including those in the Hepburn Shire, have contributed to. It’s BYO but there’ll also be a sausage sizzle, a children’s entertainer, circus tricks, a giant Jenga, bocce, kids’ trivia and other workshops. Emily, who lived in Castlemaine but has moved to Geelong, said she was “tired” but determined to continue her fundraising – with about $85,000 already raised.
“It’s been a lot of work – she only has me, so I am doing a lot on my own but all my friends are helping with finding donations. It’s a lot of late nights and I am very out of my comfort zone, asking for money and prizes and things, but I’m finding the little community areas are really supportive. It’s really kind of businesses to help us because it’s the only way we can really raise money.”
Link to all events/donations: www.linktr.ee/hope_for_phoebe
(*With the fires at Harcourt, please check social media for updates – in case this event cannot proceed. If it does go ahead, the day will be free for all local residents with an extra raffle to raise funds for those affected.)