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My Perfect Family: Courtenay
Demar Gear was just five months old when she contracted meningitis, leaving her unable to walk or talk. Her parents were told she'd never survive, but today they're celebrating Demar's 21st birthday.
![My Perfect Family: Ebony Sinclair](/media/crop/6331422161112/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Ebony Sinclair
Ebony Sinclair is a go-getter born with Achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. Ebony and her husband Ge...
My Perfect Family: Ebony Sinclair
![My Perfect Family:Fragile X](/media/crop/6074244225001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family:Fragile X
To discover you’re the carrier of the genetic condition Fragile X only after your children are born ...
My Perfect Family:Fragile X
![My Perfect Family: Nash Jones](/media/crop/6322923697112/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Nash Jones
The Jones family’s life changed forever when their youngest boy Nash was diagnosed with a rare condi...
My Perfect Family: Nash Jones
![My Perfect Family](/media/crop/6138140714001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family
Exploring the day today lives of tight-knit families, who are managing complex or unusual conditions...
My Perfect Family
![My Perfect Family: Lydia Golding](/media/crop/6315715357112/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Lydia Golding
6-year-old Lydia Golding was born with her right femur bone significantly shorter than her left. In...
My Perfect Family: Lydia Golding
![My Perfect Family: Hatty](/media/crop/6271811982001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Hatty
Hatty Walton is a 13-year-old star on the show Mystic, who lives with a hearing impairment. Hatty ho...
My Perfect Family: Hatty
![My Perfect Family: Twins](/media/crop/6086897533001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Twins
For young mum Nikki Stokes being a mother of five means there's never a dull moment. With non-verbal...
My Perfect Family: Twins
![My Perfect Family: Georgia Heard](/media/crop/6304449016001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Georgia Heard
Georgia Heard thought she had parenting all mapped out. But when the younger of her two boys was di...
My Perfect Family: Georgia Heard
![My Perfect Family: The Fergusons Part 2](/media/crop/6087570812001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: The Fergusons Part 2
Last week we met the Fergusons, a family of five who communicate using NZSL. Here, we join the Fergu...
My Perfect Family: The Fergusons Part 2
![My Perfect Family: Little People](/media/crop/6156492041001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Little People
The 50th annual conference for Little People of New Zealand (LPNZ) is fast approaching, and 27-year-...
My Perfect Family: Little People
![My Perfect Family: Scruff's Bunch](/media/crop/6086925157001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Scruff's Bunch
Kim Preston (Scruff) reckon's she'll be caring for her three adult sons with Autism until she 'carks...
My Perfect Family: Scruff's Bunch
![My Perfect Family: Kim Preston](/media/crop/6103204485001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Kim Preston
Raising three boys is always a big task, especially when two of them have severe autism. But Kim Pre...
My Perfect Family: Kim Preston
![My Perfect Family: Alex](/media/crop/6280359736001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Alex
Performance is in the Walsh family’s DNA. When their youngest son Alex was born with Down syndrome, ...
My Perfect Family: Alex
![My Perfect Family: Creative Clan](/media/crop/6086889611001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Creative Clan
Ranger Ashurst is eleven and needs regular injections to control his Chrone's disease, his eight yea...
My Perfect Family: Creative Clan
![My Perfect Family: Harper Ahern](/media/crop/6307147289112/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Harper Ahern
Since being diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at age four, 10-year-old surfer Harper and his family ...
My Perfect Family: Harper Ahern
![My Perfect Family: Martine](/media/crop/6074582648001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Martine
Blind since birth, Martine Able-Williamson is now a global leader in the blind community. In this i...
My Perfect Family: Martine
![My Perfect Family: Tri Rugby](/media/crop/6274646779001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Tri Rugby
For members of Christchurch's Tri Rugby team - who live with intellectual disabilities - rugby is mo...
My Perfect Family: Tri Rugby
![My Perfect Family: Malaena Cariño](/media/crop/6310659823112/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Malaena Cariño
12-year-old Malaena Cariño has a rare genetic form of epilepsy. Her whānau have exhausted most treat...
My Perfect Family: Malaena Cariño
![My Perfect Family: Grace Payne](/media/crop/6314087932112/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Grace Payne
Grace Payne is a powerlifter who has competed in the Special Olympics as an autistic athlete. Now, 2...
My Perfect Family: Grace Payne
![My Perfect Family: The Priestleys](/media/crop/6188999012001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: The Priestleys
Four of the six Priestley family members live with Autism. Because they’re able to function at a hig...
My Perfect Family: The Priestleys
![My Perfect Family: Zoe](/media/crop/6086893666001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Zoe
Zoe Tate lives with Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting her appearance, growth an...
My Perfect Family: Zoe
![My Perfect Family: OCD](/media/crop/6205659104001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: OCD
For two teenage sisters living with OCD, the world can often be an uncertain and scary place. In the...
My Perfect Family: OCD
![My Perfect Family: Meet the Asners](/media/crop/6086895373001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Meet the Asners
They call themselves the "The Brady Bunch of Autism". Descendants of Hollywood royalty, Matt and Nav...
My Perfect Family: Meet the Asners
![My Perfect Family: No Respite](/media/crop/6158799618001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: No Respite
Life during a pandemic is a challenge for all parents with kids at home. But for parents whose child...
My Perfect Family: No Respite
![My Perfect Family: Mahia & Tipene](/media/crop/6093555282001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Mahia & Tipene
Mahia and Tipene Stephens were born with a congenital eye disorder, causing their eyesight to deteri...
My Perfect Family: Mahia & Tipene
![My Perfect Family: Family Man Graeme](/media/crop/6086889610001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Family Man Graeme
When Graeme Porter was diagnosed with an intellectual disability as a child no one expected him to r...
My Perfect Family: Family Man Graeme
![My Perfect Family: Tiffiney Perry](/media/crop/6304702029001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Tiffiney Perry
Always an active person, Tiffiney Perry continued participating in sports and achieving success afte...
My Perfect Family: Tiffiney Perry
![My Perfect Family: The Fergusons Part 1](/media/crop/6084817752001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: The Fergusons Part 1
The Fergusons are an average family of five; they have fun, they fight, but mostly they get along. ...
My Perfect Family: The Fergusons Part 1
![My Perfect Family: Cystic Sisters](/media/crop/6086891500001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Cystic Sisters
Kristy and Nikki are sisters and young mums who bring smiles to the faces of strangers by doing surp...
My Perfect Family: Cystic Sisters
![My Perfect Family: Jo & Leon](/media/crop/6174156476001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Jo & Leon
Young doctor Jo Scott’s career was on the rise when a brain haemorrhage changed her life. Seven year...
My Perfect Family: Jo & Leon
![My Perfect Family: Perrones](/media/crop/6256160154001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Perrones
Young anime artist Bee Perrone lives with the rare condition, Ivemark Syndrome. Understanding this i...
My Perfect Family: Perrones
![My Perfect Family: Candle Dad](/media/crop/6063315534001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Candle Dad
Raising four children alone is a challenge - more so, when two have Down Syndrome. Tony Sykes rose t...
My Perfect Family: Candle Dad
![My Perfect Family: Hunter](/media/crop/6085500250001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Hunter
Hunter McGregor is a passionate gamer, a design school graduate, and he runs a B&B with his mum, Roi...
My Perfect Family: Hunter
![My Perfect Family: Kat and Ella](/media/crop/6075347348001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Kat and Ella
Kat Yearbury is a mother to two-year-old Frankie and six-year-old Ella, who has Cerebral Palsy and E...
My Perfect Family: Kat and Ella
![Brothers and Sisters](/media/crop/6103204181001/image.jpg)
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Brothers and Sisters
The unique perspective of those closest to us, our brothers and sisters.
Brothers and Sisters
![My Perfect Family: Melody](/media/crop/6248479021001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Melody
Within just one year Melody entirely lost her vision, gave birth to her first child, and left her ho...
My Perfect Family: Melody
![My Perfect Family: Southland](/media/crop/6099579297001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Southland
Southland Disability Enterprises employs over 80 people who live with a disability. For Mary-Ellen J...
My Perfect Family: Southland
![My Perfect Family: Sam and Jason](/media/crop/6169996148001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Sam and Jason
Sam lost her sight as a baby due to meningitis, and her husband Jason has limited vision due to a ge...
My Perfect Family: Sam and Jason
![My Perfect Family: Friedreich's Ataxia](/media/crop/6181642393001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Friedreich's Ataxia
Preparing for a 30th birthday is a big deal in the Boon family. Three out of five siblings live with...
My Perfect Family: Friedreich's Ataxia
![My Perfect Family: CDKL5](/media/crop/6248482877001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: CDKL5
Learning your new baby has a complex rare condition is life altering. Three Mums connect over their ...
My Perfect Family: CDKL5
![My Perfect Family: Tara Aumalesulu](/media/crop/6311407957112/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Tara Aumalesulu
Nine year old Tara is launching her very first album, Pele O Lo’u Fatu. Living with visual impairmen...
My Perfect Family: Tara Aumalesulu
![My Perfect Family: Max and Grace](/media/crop/6277924195001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Max and Grace
Siblings Max and Grace are off on a road trip to Queenstown, putting Max's independence to the test ...
My Perfect Family: Max and Grace
![My Perfect Family: Jaxon Woolley](/media/crop/6307495805112/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Jaxon Woolley
15 year old Jaxon Woolley is already blitzing through para-sprinting records. An athlete to watch, J...
My Perfect Family: Jaxon Woolley
![My Perfect Family: Bold As Brass](/media/crop/6161256911001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Bold As Brass
As New Zealanders living in Australia, Abbi and Morgan Brass received no government support when the...
My Perfect Family: Bold As Brass
![My Perfect Family: Southland Lockdown](/media/crop/6155137390001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Southland Lockdown
Awards Night is the highlight of the social calendar for a vulnerable workforce at Southland Disabil...
My Perfect Family: Southland Lockdown
![My Perfect Family: Courtenay](/media/crop/6086889605001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Courtenay
Demar Gear was just five months old when she contracted meningitis, leaving her unable to walk or ta...
My Perfect Family: Courtenay
![My Perfect Family: Welcome Home Stevie](/media/crop/6086884365001/image.jpg)
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My Perfect Family: Welcome Home Stevie
Murray and Janine's son Steven was a gentle boy with autism. 18 months ago he left their house with ...
My Perfect Family: Welcome Home Stevie