Stockton Family's Inspiring Run Doubles Fundraising Target for Critical Medical Research
A young family from Stockton has transformed profound personal loss into a powerful force for good, smashing their fundraising goal to support vital research into a rare and devastating condition.
A Legacy Born from Tragedy
Rui Augusto was just 25 days old when he passed away due to a severe intracranial haemorrhage caused by neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT). In his memory, his parents Sarah and Marcio Augusto organised the charity event Run for Rui to raise money and awareness for research into this little-known condition.
"Although Rui's life was short, we wanted his legacy to live on and his life to have purpose," Marcio said. The family's determination to prevent other parents from experiencing similar heartbreak became the driving force behind their remarkable community effort.
Extraordinary Community Response Smashes Target
The fundraising target was set at $25,000, but the Newcastle community's response was nothing short of extraordinary. Runners covered up to 110km across a weekend event, with the total distance symbolically representing Rui's dates of birth and death and the 25 days he lived.
Six dedicated runners completed the entire distance alongside Marcio, while more than a hundred supporters joined for different legs across each day. Many more participated virtually, logging their runs in support of the worthy cause.
The result far exceeded expectations, with the campaign raising $64,955 at the time of publication – more than doubling the original goal.
Overwhelmed by Generosity
"We're speechless, taken aback by everyone's generosity and so grateful for you all and your willingness to get behind Run for Rui," Sarah and Marcio said in a statement. "To be completely honest, we were so nervous about upping our original goal but we thought we may as well aim high. We never thought we'd get anywhere near this."
The couple confirmed they had spoken with the team at the NAIT Registry, who were "absolutely pumped" by the fundraising success and the increased awareness it would bring to their important work.
Understanding NAIT and Its Impact
Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia occurs when a mother's immune system unknowingly attacks her unborn baby's platelets. This can cause severe bleeding in the baby's brain before or after birth, and it is often undiagnosed until tragedy strikes.
"When we found out Rui was affected by NAIT we had no idea what the condition was," Marcio explained. "After delving into it, we found out that the only active research effort in Australia into NAIT is the Monash University NAIT Registry created in 2009 to improve care for mothers and babies affected by NAIT."
Importantly, NAIT is both preventable and treatable when detected early, making research and awareness campaigns like Run for Rui critically important.
Creating Lasting Change
"We can't change what happened to Rui, but we can help raise awareness and funds to assist in preventing other parents from experiencing the same heartbreak," Sarah said. "Every donation will help with capturing and understanding more NAIT cases leading to faster diagnosis, better treatment decisions, and improved outcomes for other babies and families."
The family emphasised that each contribution helps researchers capture, analyse and understand more NAIT cases. This increased knowledge can lead to:
- Faster diagnosis for affected families
- Better treatment decisions by medical professionals
- Improved outcomes for babies and families
- Stronger national knowledge of NAIT across Australia's healthcare system
Through their courage and determination, the Augusto family has created a lasting legacy for their son Rui while providing crucial support for medical research that could save countless future lives.
