Jess Heard, Bob Knight and Tommi Knight at Ballarat Base Hospital.
Young Ballarat Tay-Sachs Disease battler Tommi Knight and his family saw in the new year with a surprise party in their room at the Ballarat Health Services Base Hospital.Tommi and his parents Jess Heard and Bob Knight were surrounded by friends, family and plenty of brightly coloured balloons when The Courier visited earlier in the evening.“We had a little party,” Ms Heard said. “Everyone came and surprised us, it was great.”The family returned from Peru last month where Tommi received experimental stem cell treatment. It was the second time the family had travelled to Peru for treatment.Tommi, now 19 months old, is Australia’s only current Tay-Sachs Disease sufferer and had his first treatment in Peru in August.The Ballarat community has rallied together to support Tommi, helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars for him and his family through a number of fundraisers during the year.
