Do it for Blair! Trivia night for brave young boy in need

Canobolas High School is the venue for a trivia night fundraiser next Friday, May 27 for a brave young boy with chronic health conditions.

Having battled a host of undiagnosed health issues for most of his young life, Blair Compt, 12, spent years suffering from severe stomach pain, vomiting, malnutrition, and bowel problems before doctors were finally able to give the family an answer.

Blair, suffers from a malrotation of the bowel and gastroparesis — conditions that make it impossible for him to eat and drink normally and which leaves him in severe pain. In just the last three years,  Blair has undergone numerous major and minor surgeries and there is still a long road ahead for him.

“We've just watched young Blair from a kindergarten student… just watched him over the years, battle this illness,” family friend, Melissa Caulfied said.

“It knocks him out. He has had weeks and weeks off school because he had to go to hospital, but he also has days off school because he is in so much pain.”

Blair is currently being fed through a gastrostomy — a tube directly into his stomach through the abdomen.

While specialists hope to improve his quality of life, these are issues that Blair will continue to live with, Melissa said.

But despite the heavy burden on one so young, Blair remains positive and happy.

“This boy is the most positive, happy... he has such a high pain tolerance, so you're not even sure when he's feeling unwell, because whenever you see him he's got this beautiful, smiley face.

“And it’s always, ‘How’re you going Mel? What have you been up to?’ He is always looking on the bright side; he doesn't complain and, I think that’s part of it makes it harder for those of us around him to watch him be so sick.”

All those months away in hospital and his ongoing medical treatments, also comes at a severe financial cost to the family. Melissa and other friends are, therefore, hoping to ease the burden for Blair’s parents, Luke and Caitlyn, with the trivia night aiming to raise much-needed money for the family.

“It is for the medical support, the equipment that he needs day-in, day-out for his feeding tube and food supplements,” Melissa explained.

“The specialist they are really keen to see is in Melbourne, so to get down there and that travel… His mum had to give up work for a couple of years, just to be able to be with him,  so there's that ongoing — everything. This is something he is going to be living with.”

The Trivia Night is being held at Canobolas High School Hall on Friday, May 27, starting at 6.30pm. Tickets are $25 a head for teams of six people.

There will also be raffles, prize grabs, and an auction on the night.

Tickets can be purchased at The Little Art Nook in the City Centre or by calling Jane Doherty on 0411 317 611. Direct Debit is available.

There is also a GoFundMe page “Help for Blair” (gofund.me/47d9ce35) if you would like to make a donation.