Little Charlie Rao has been on a swing twice in his life, both times in the past month since his arrival in Australia from the Solomon Islands.
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The first time was before life-changing surgery, when he was still hindered by a colostomy bag which "stuck out like an elephant trunk" from his near-infected navel.
The second time was when he was released from hospital after the surgery, braver and happier than ever before.
Charlie turns two in September, and will soon be returning to his home country after the successful operation. He was born in the Solomon Islands with a disease called Hirschsprung, which causes intestinal obstruction.
His young body endured two surgeries in Honiara to bypass the bowel, however his only chance of living a somewhat normal life fell to the charity of Canberra-based organisation Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children.
The charity paid for Charlie and his mother Mary's flight to Canberra from their home country, and covered the cost of the surgery and the time spent in hospital.
Leanne and Ash Pagett were tasked as Mary and Charlie's primary caregivers while they were in Canberra. It was Mrs Pagett who introduced Charlie to a favourite childhood pastime, being pushed on a swing.
Mr Pagett, a member of the Rotary Club of Weston Creek, nominated his home as the base for Charlie and Mary, and Mrs Pagett took on the role with gusto.
"My hubby and I are very happy we've been able to help this little family in this way ... We feel really good about it," Mrs Pagett said.
Both families were overjoyed to hear the operation had been successful. Mrs Pagett said it would have taken plenty of courage on Mary's behalf to put the life of her son in the hands of people she didn't know, in a country whose language is quite different from her own pidgin.
"She was visibly relieved after the surgery and when she realised everything had gone absolutely perfectly well," Mrs Pagett said.
"Mary quite often says with surprise, 'Charlie's happy', he's engaging with people, he wants to get down on the ground and walk around, he's got a new level of desire to explore the world," Mrs Pagett said.
She said the surgical team were very happy with the outcome.
The little family has moved in with the Pagetts for the next two months, to ensure Charlie recovers completely before flying home.
Mrs Pagett was thankful for the support of the Rotarians at Weston Creek, Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children, the Solomon Islands High Commission and the response from the Solomon Islands community in Canberra, who when they read the story in the Sunday Canberra Times turned up at the hospital with clothing, traditional food for Mary and were able to talk to her in the language she was familiar with.
