MAY 3, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Izzy’s lonely battle Like most toddlers, Izzy adores The Wiggles and regularly dresses up in a tutu and yellow skivvy to dance along to Rock-A-Bye Your Bear. She also loves Disney’s Frozen and relishes the chance to take off goofy Olaf the snowman. Sometimes she’s shy, other times she’s outgoing and zany. But unlike others her age, the Sunbury girl, almost two, has Bloom syndrome, a rare condition characterised by short stature, predisposition to cancer, genomic instability and a facial rash caused by exposure to the sun. More than $5000 has been raised to help Izzy and mum Kirsty Ciantar attend a conference in the US, where she will be able to meet experts and other kids like her for the first time. It’s about half what’s needed to make this month’s trip a reality, with Izzy’s condition leading to elevated travel insurance costs. ‘‘She’s the only known case in Australia at the moment,” Ms Ciantar says. Izzy weighs just 6kg and wears clothes made for three-month-old babies. She can rarely venture outdoors before sunset and often sits by the window, watching as other families go for walks. When they absolutely have to go out during the day, Ms Ciantar covers Izzy in sunscreen, a hat, long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect as much skin as possible. Izzy’s low immune system means she gets sick easily, so she can’t go to playgroup or spend much time with other kids. Ms Ciantar says Izzy’s diagnosis last year came as an immense shock. ‘‘It was hard to hear,’’ she says. ‘‘I was so emotional, crying constantly, stressed, in denial. It just didn’t seem fair.’’ Complications were first picked up in the womb and Izzy was born premature, weighing just 1.47 kilogram. But aside from her small stature and a propensity to get sick more than other babies, she was on track with other milestones. While going for a walk in 2014, Ms Ciantar noticed Izzy’s lips were pale and her face was red. Doctors initially suspected a cold sore, but her lip eventually split and was constantly bleeding. A trip to the Royal Children’s Hospital and extensive genetic testing eventually found that Izzy had Bloom syndrome. ‘‘The last thing any parent wants to be told is that you will outlive your child,’’ Ms Ciantar says. ‘‘But that’s the truth in this. I’m expected to long outlive my child unless medical technology keeps improving.’’
(Shawn Smits)
By Matt Crossman
‘Time to freeze town’s growth’
KIRSTY CIANTAR AND IZZY
While family and friends have been a great support, Ms Ciantar says she’s sometimes upset by unwelcome comments. ‘‘A man approached me a few days ago,
accusing me of not feeding her, which ended with me in tears,” she said. ‘‘Luckily, there were lovely people around who stood up for me.’’ To donate, visit goo.gl/5dOwXK
A Macedon Ranges councillor has suggested a suspension of Gisborne’s rapid expansion as figures reveal its population is racing ahead of expectations. Speaking at last week’s council meeting in support of a motion by Cr John Letchford to ask Planning Minister Richard Wynne to meet with the full council, Cr Russell Mowatt said Gisborne was turning into ‘‘another Sunbury’’, with a lack of adequate infrastructure and services. ‘‘The tsunami has well and truly hit Gisborne,’’ Cr Mowatt said. A settlement strategy adopted by the council in July 2011 estimated a population of 14,700 by 2036. But last week’s meeting heard that the town’s population had already passed 13,000. And under the Loddon Mallee South Regional Growth Plan, Gisborne is forecast to grow to about 17,000. Councillors Mowatt and Letchford questioned whether the state government was doing enough to help the council cope with the growth. ‘‘We as a council cannot do it, and the recent introduction of rate-capping further restricts [our] capacity to assist in this process,’’ Cr Mowatt said. ‘‘If the state government cannot invest in our town or region, let’s introduce a moratorium until they can because the current growth rate is not sustainable.’’ Cr Letchford said: ‘‘We don’t want the growth of our towns to get away from us. ‘‘The overflow of Melbourne is moving out, and increasingly the first port of call is Gisborne. We have to have more infrastructure to keep pace.’’ A government spokesman did not respond by deadline. Last week’s state budget included $325 million for statewide jobs initiatives for infrastructure and services, with upgrades to irrigation, water security, mobile blackspots, streetscaping and planning work signalled. Also funded were upgrades to public transport and $101 million for regional tourism infrastructure. A total of $427 million will be spent on road safety upgrades, most of which will be invested in regional Victoria. Matt Crossman