Help us raise awareness of Enterovirus and support research through The Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

My name is Candice Bigham and we lost our beautiful daughter Billie to enterovirus myocarditis when she was just 11 days old. When she was first diagnosed with enterovirus, we had never heard of it. We didn't understand it or know that complications could be fatal for a baby as young as Billie. Within three days of being diagnosed, she was gone.

Her death was devastating and something we will never get over. It is something we don't want other families to go through. We want to raise awareness and funds for enterovirus research, as we feel it is not well known or understood.

While various types of enterovirus infection are relatively common in children, poliovirus is the probably the most well-known to the public. We want to make people aware that in some instances an enterovirus infection can be serious, even fatal, which results in great distress for the families it touches.

We urgently need community support to raise funds to tackle this.

Over the last two years, with thanks to so many wonderful supporters, we successfully raised $30,000 for research into using whole-genome sequencing to characterise enteroviruses circulating in Australia.

Our next goal is to raise $30,000 to enable the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory, based at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, to investigate the effectiveness of antivirals against enteroviruses, and to raise awareness of this relatively unknown but important group of viruses.

Any donation is greatly appreciated - thank you!

All donations over $2 are fully tax-deductible and gratefully received.