Kanahooka residents Susan and Andrew Walton are pleading with Victorian authorities to grant them an exemption to visit their terminally ill daughter in Melbourne before it's too late.
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Their daughter, 35-year-old Kate French, was a new mother to her longed-for first child Jamieson with husband Andrew when she began experiencing severe pain last month.
What followed was the devastating news that she had terminal cancer, which had spread throughout almost her entire body.
Since their daughter's diagnosis, the Waltons have been trying to acquire an exemption that will permit them to travel to Melbourne to care for and spend time with Kate and her family.
"I promised Kate that she would not go to hospital, when the times comes, and I would look after her," Mrs Walton said.
Victoria has classed the entirety of NSW as either a 'red' or 'extreme risk' zone, and residents cannot cross the border without an exemption; the Illawarra is considered an 'extreme risk' area.
Mrs Walton said they had been offered an exemption on the proviso they went into a 14-day quarantine, but they wanted to quarantine at Kate's home because they were afraid of losing time with her.
Kate's five sisters, who live in the Illawarra, are also facing the prospect of not seeing her again.
Mrs Walton said Kate and her husband had very little support in Melbourne, aside from her "marvellous" midwife and "beautiful" oncology nurse.
The Waltons managed to visit Kate and her family for a week in August, but had to return to Wollongong because Mr Walton needed to undergo treatment for leukaemia himself.
The couple, as well as two of Kate's sisters, have continued to apply for exemptions but have so far been knocked back.
Mrs Walton has also been appealing to politicians for help, but has received few responses, except from Wollongong MP Paul Scully and Kate's local member in Melbourne.
"I understand the seriousness of COVID, we all do," Mrs Walton said.
"My husband and I, plus our children, are all vaccinated.
"We COVID test regularly... We don't understand how they can be so inhumane to deny us to be with her and her little family at this time.
"It's breaking our hearts."
In a few weeks' time, Kate will find out more about her prognosis, and her parents want to be there for her when she receives the news.
"My daughter is dying, and nobody, nobody will listen, and nobody will help us," Mrs Walton said.
The Mercury contacted the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services for comment, however they have not yet provided a response.
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