By Jena Carr
A free app is helping people like Geelong’s Jacinta Wickstead communicate and ask for help from loved ones without the pressure.
Ms Wickstead was pregnant with her second daughter, Audrey, when the baby was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a rare genetic disease causing non-cancerous tumours.
She said she used to feel like a “burden” when family and friends asked if she needed help as she was unsure how to convey what she needed and who could help.
“You know that everyone means well, and they want to help, but often it’s not knowing what to suggest because you don’t know people’s capacities,” Ms Wickstead said.
“She’s (Audrey) been in and out of hospital, two brain surgeries, constant medical appointments and accessing, and it’s always unknown with her medical condition as to what we’re going to face next.
“It’s hard to articulate what you need because you’re so overwhelmed mentally that you don’t even know how to ask for help or what the specific need is until the situation arises.”
Ms Wickstead said she used Gather My Crew, a free app that linked people needing help with their loved ones, to organise everything and share updates.
“It was fantastic because we could give updates, let people know how Audrey was progressing, and how people could pray and support us emotionally and mentally,” she said.
“I could really focus on just being with Audrey and our other daughter Ava and being present in that situation rather than thinking about how I have all these people to organise and coordinate.”
Visit gathermycrew.org.au for more information about Gather My Crew.
