If anybody deserves to win a new car, it's probably Olivia Sheen and her seven-year-old son Elliott. Thousands of Australians agree and have been voting for Ms Sheen to win a competition in which the general public gets to decide who should be awarded a new Toyota Kluger.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Elliott suffers from the rare condition Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, weighs just 13 kilograms and is unable to talk or walk.
Elliott was born in Canberra's Calvary Hospital but he and his mother moved to Melbourne about four years ago.
Ms Sheen is unable to fit Elliott's wheelchair into her current car.
''The wheelchair doesn't fit in the car so I have to leave it at school, so he doesn't get that support on the weekends or when we're out and about,'' she said.
The lack of airconditioning in the car also puts Elliott at an increased risk of suffering a fit during hot weather.
Ms Sheen won her way into the final of the new car competition after submitting this short ''road trip'' story: ''We drove from Canberra to Melbourne in our Toyota Cressida on a 45-degree day. [Elliott] is severely disabled and all truck stops were packed out, leaving nowhere to park or anywhere for him to lie and rehydrate. I had to take him to the bush. MOST STRESSFUL DRIVE ANYWHERE.''
Thousands of people have followed a Facebook page titled Vote 4 Elliott.
Ms Sheen said she had been overwhelmed by support from people who had contacted her through Facebook.
''It's just been [a] so heartwarming, overwhelming, beautiful experience really. Even if I don't win the car, this whole experience is worth it,'' she said.
