What's Wrong With Maxi? Yael Cohn's quest for her son Maxi. Please share.

A friend posted a link on her Facebook page, and asked her social media buddies to share. Several lines into the post I knew I had to get involved somehow.

I connected with the writer of the original post - Yael Cohen - and she filled me in.

Her story - and that of her son Maxi - is utterly heartbreaking. And hugely inspiring.

Here is Yael and Maxi's story:



Tears. And more tears.

More of a backgrounder on Maxi and Yael below, in Yael's own words. Here is a pic of mother and son:

And Maxi and his father Edan:

"Maximus is our beloved 2-year-old boy who lives at home with mum, dad and his 5-year-old brother Jacob.

Up until 9 months of age, Maximus was a happy, healthy boy. One day an eye tumour appeared, followed by several skin lesions.

By 18 months of age, Maxi had developed multiple brain lesions, high blood pressure, instability with his gross motor function and sudden, unexplained weight gain.

The past 17 months have been a struggle for Maximus, with seven general anaesthetics, several hospital stays, as well as specialist and hospital visits each week.  Yet there is still no definitive diagnosis.

We have created this site with the hope that someone will see this story and know something that we don’t.

We want to know: What’s wrong with Maxi?

We all know how dangerous Google doctoring can be, but I have read of cases where parents have discovered a diagnosis themselves by doing research and observing their child. This is because a parent has 24 hours a day to obsess and research a prognosis, whereas a specialist can only devote small amounts of time to one patient. So we thought the more people who see this story, the better chance Maximus has of coming closer to a diagnosis.

We also feel it’s important to share some of our struggles and joys with others as this may inspire, help or somehow make a difference for other parents going through similar situations.

Even though we live in Australia, we need to access the rest of the world to help us. We have tremendous resources in Australia, but sadly it’s never enough when your child remains undiagnosed and there is no apparent cure for what is a degenerative condition."

Here is a radio interview Yael did with Glenn Ridge. Yael is well known in the entertainment industry, having worked alongside Molly Meldrum for eons. Listen to the radio segment here:

I asked Yael some questions about the very difficult recent months. Like, how it felt for her to be a mother and carer for Maxi.

"The two are so linked I can't really separate the two."

I also asked Yael how it felt to go public, and why she decided to.

"It was a very difficult decision. But once you bite the bullet, there ain’t no looking back. I had an ego. I wnated to preserve my family, my ego, my profile. And then I thought, f*ck that! If I can help someone, help my son, I will.

"How dare I be so proud when I can speak the language, I’ve got the qualifications. I can do this!"

I ask Yael what her ultimate is in starting the site for Maxi.

"My goal is to share my story. So that people can share it to. I’m a frustrated mum that doesn’t wanna hear “We don’t know what to do about this.”

Indeed, visit Yael's site dedicated to Maxi and she is very clear about her three goals. In her own words, here they are:

Tell people

Please tell your friends – share this site! Do you know a doctor, pediatrician, scientist, chemist, neurologist? If not, people you know will. We need experts to diagnose our boy.

Please share this link and reach out to your networks. From your hairdresser to your mailman to your Facebook friends. Please forward this on to see if someone may help our baby boy. So far we haven’t found a specialist who can diagnose Maximus, but we believe someone out there will have the answer – help us find that person.

I also urge you to keep checking into Maxi’s blog – as I shall aim to post regularly on medical findings, etc.

Please email any suggestions to whatswrongwithmaxi@gmail.com. All ideas are welcome.

Create awareness

Maximus is one of many children around the world who are undiagnosed and, as a result, they are prone to falling through loopholes in the system. Without a diagnosis, there is little support available. I have learned:

• Some diseases are so rare there are no tests yet invented to find them.
• If, by miracle, a diagnosis is made, should an orphan drug be required, it can be very difficult to convince a pharmaceutical company to invest in a product that is not produced for the masses.

So whatever you can do within your community to support the cause of children with rare and undiagnosed conditions can also be a pathway to answers and cures.

Send Maxi cards and well wishes

To: Maximus
The Pines Post Office
PO BOX 3123
Doncaster East, Victoria 3108
Australia

You can follow Maxi and Yael's journey here. 

And you can contact Yael direct here: whatswrongwithmaxi@gmail.com

My question to you is: if you knew that by just sharing a link you could be helping someone, your fellow human being, why wouldn't you?

SO: please share this link with everyone you know. Thank you.

UPDATED: Maxi's story has now hit the front page of the Herald Sun (18/5/13). Click here for the story.

John Howard on Gun Control: 'The Daily Show With Jon Stewart'

Have you watched this clip yet? You simply must.

John Oliver recently came to Australia to film segments on 'the myth' of gun control, and made some offhand remarks about Australia being "the most comfortably racist place I've ever been". Filming for 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' he interviews former Australian Prime Minister John Howard regarding "the failure" of his gun control scheme.

What happens next is rather breathtaking: with the focus squarely on the US 2nd Amendment, gun lobbyist Phillip van Cleave shows just far America has to go in this horrid, essential gun control debate.

This segment will air on Australia's The Comedy Channel in the next few days - and here it is for you now.

"Whoop-de-do!" WATCH:

Chloe Morello: Top 5 Makeup Trends - Fashion Week, for Veet 'Style and Beauty Team' 2013

Chloe Morello is hot property when it comes to all things beauty.

The Australian online beauty editor boasts her own blog, and a YouTube channel with 170,000+ subscribers and 13 million + video views. (Updated Jan 14: now over half a million  subscribers).

Here is the gorgeous Chloe, below:

Her video tutorials are fantastic: easy to follow, and a pleasure to watch for any skill level [my five year old daughter watched this one on a messy braid bun with me, and was fascinated - as was I. We're trialing it tomorrow!




And one of her most popular posts, perfect winged eyeliner:







The 21 year old's enthusiasm is infectious (and she's as sweet and lovely in person as she is on camera - we met at a PeepToe shoes launch) and her beauty expertise is something she's obviously innately good at. Her content ranges from Arabic-inspired makeup for hijab and headscarf wearers, to how to do bright blue eyeshadow, to a Lilly Ghalichi [the glamazon on 'The Shahs of Sunset'] makeup tutorial. All her videos are super-easy to watch.

I was asked if I'd like Chloe to write a beauty column just for Josie's Juice, in line with the top trends of the recent Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Sydney. I said yes immediately.

Chloe was named one of the Veet [Australia's leading depilatories brand] 'Style and Beauty Team' for 2013, alongside top fashion stylist Kelly Smythe, and beauty therapist Amy Erbacher, and it was a pleasure to say yes to a post just for this blog [my bad for not uploading last week. This young woman is fabulous and her following is building by the day].

And so, the low-down from Chloe Morello on beauty trends for 2013:

"Looking through the images taken at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, I noticed lots of the 'less is more' makeup on the catwalks; a lot of shows featured minimal colour with a focus on that perfect, radiant complexion. It wasn't surprising to see this as a theme this year so some of my favourites were those that gave bit more punch and stood out from the rest, here are my top five picks!

The Gypsea show featured an ever classic pinup look with a bit more colour. The models wore a blue wash of shadow over the lid, coupled with simple black liner and a retro red lip, it's a classic but was given a 'pool-side glamour' twist when the hairstylists paired it with a wet look bun. Here's the Gypsea look [photo from their Facebook page, by Zimbio]:

My favourite look of the week, Watson X Watson's youthful and uber sexy look with a vintage vibe. It was 1960s beach babe (some of the models even carried surfboards!) featuring a baby pink pout and loads of bronzer. I was a bit shocked to see this look in the show, but glad Maybelline brought back because it's just so sexy and fun:

The We Are Handsome show brought some spunk; swimsuits bursting with colours and prints and reflected in the makeup. Maybelline created colourful, dramatic smokey eyes worn with bright red lips that demanded attention. It was paired with a curled, tousled mane and looked wild and sexy [this image from WAH Facebook page, by Mitch Hay]:

The models at Alice McCall wore a radiant, dewy foundation with a nude/sheer, shiny gloss over the lips. It was minimal colour in the face until you reach the eyelashes - which were a startling powder blue! I was backstage at Alice McCall and this was achieved by applying blue false lashes and painting the natural lashes, an interesting look that worked well with the designs. Hoping this might bring back the coloured mascara trend from a few years ago too! [This pic from Alice McCall Facebook page, from The Company Swoon]:

Lisa Ho – one word come to mind here: sleek. Hair was slicked back into the most perfect style, not a hair out of place. Makeup was by MAC and glossy ox-blood lips were the feature to a perfected and glowing base with defined eyes, bronzer and brushed brows. Maybe it was the music from the beginning of this show (a funky jazz number), but I felt a definite vintage vibe. Loved this look!"

So there you have it: five strong beauty trends for 2013. Which look do you like the most?

To follow Chloe, visit the links above. Love.

Ryan Lochte: Sheinelle Jones and Mike Jerrick interview: VIDEO

Today I was offered an interview with Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, in line with his new E! show 'What Would Ryan Lochte Do?'. I said yes immediately.

Then I did a little more research.

Ryan, please know I am not laughing at your expense. I think you're an endearing character [and the reality TV gods obv agree]; it's just that... the reaction of breakfast hosts losing their shit when they're not meant to is... fun.

In this clip, US TV's Fox29 anchors - Sheinelle Jones and Mike Jerrick - from 'Good Day Philly' interviewed the Olympic swimmer. Then lost the plot. Watch:

A.J. Clemente: KFYR News Anchor Drops F-bomb in TV Gaffe

Oh. Dear.

Yeah... you're on air, AJ!

Oh... and you're fired.

Watch this viral video - you won't see on the evening news tonight. Sans bleeps anyway:



PS: I really don't like the way he uses the word 'gay' in a derogatory way. I know it's a thing now, but... not a fan.

Chrissy Amphlett Dead: 'Sunday Night' VIDEO

In news just in, Chrissy Amphlett has died. She was just 53.

The lead singer from iconic Australian band Divinyls has been battling breast cancer for two years, and she talked about battling multiple sclerosis in an interview with 'Sunday Night'. Transcript here and full video from the emotional interview right here.

SO sad.

More here.

Here is arguably the most famous of Divinyls songs:



And more:





More details to come.

And an old James Valentine interview with Chrissy:

Cleo Magazine New Look: Miranda Kerr Cover - FIRST LOOK + interview with Sharri Markson

Cleo magazine is a publishing phenomenon. The magazine, which provacatively burst onto the Australian magazine scene 40 years ago, has had its most extreme of makeovers... and she's a real Aussie beauty! This just in: the cover star for the newly redesigned issue, featuring Miranda Kerr:

Under the editorship of new editor Sharri Markson - who has twice won the Walkley Award for Young Journalist of the Year Award, was news editor at Channel 7 Sydney, chief of staff at the Sunday Telegraph, political writer in Canberra's press gallery for the same newspaper, and has worked at The Sun, and the New York Post - the magazine intends to make a huge impact on the magazine market.

In an interview with Sharri for Josie's Juice, I asked her what it meant to head the redesign and relaunch of such an Australian institution:

Sharri: "I feel completely honoured to be editor of Cleo; it's amazing and I am really proud of the re-launch, I think the magazine is beautiful, we've definitely overhauled it and improved it. It's a really great mag. It's the best young women's mag out there at the moment and I just can't wait for the readers to buy it and get stuck in."

Josie: To stand out in this digital age you need to really shake things up to flourish in the hard copy magazine market, and that's clearly what you've done, yes?

Sharri: "Yes, it's completely different. And look, girls do love magazines. The research shows us that they love magazines and it's true, you're not going to go to the beach and sit down with an iPad; you know, you're not going to get on a plane without a magazine. They still have a really big place in the hearts of girls across the country, so it's just about providing an amazing magazine that they really want to read.

Josie: There's nothing like holding a fresh new magazine in your hand, and just devouring every page!

Sharri: "Yes! Absolutely!"

What have Cleo stalwarts Ita Buttrose and Lisa Wilkinson said about its new direction?


Sharri: "They've been hugely supportive. On my first day at Cleo, there was a beautiful note from Lisa Wilkinson just saying how happy she was during her time here and wishing me the best of luck, and just telling me if there was anything at all I needed, to call her. She's been really supportive.

Ita rang me when I got the job and gave me a bit of a warning and said, 'Make sure you look after MY magazine!' But she's been supportive and has spoken out publicly to say that she really thinks the new direction we're taking the magazine in is a good one. She wants the mag to be a success and she agrees that it's become too superficial and too fluffy in recent years so she thinks taking it back to its provocative roots and giving it some depth will work, because girls are so smart today. And even Mia Freedman has backed its new direction... it's great."

Josie: The new version of Cleo has no 'sex' coverlines... and that's a really big deal. Did you grapple with that? Did you welcome that?

Sharri: "It was a huge discussion internally, and in the company as well. I mean, we saw the research, and we saw that girls were more conservative than they'd been previously, more of them were living at home; they didn't want to wear sex as a badge. You know, it's just not cool to  walk around with a magazine that has sex on the front of it. And so, we had long discussions about it over the months, and decided that it was the right thing to do to have as our key pillars: beauty, fashion, social issues. And of course there's still sex content in the magazine, but it's just not the main pillar, and we're not going to use it as the main selling point on the front cover.

Josie: If there is one thing you hope any woman picking up the new Cleo gets from the magazine, what would it be?

Sharri: "I hope that the readers pick it up, fall in love with it, sit down, read it for a couple of hours, come back to it, dip in and out of it. I just hope that they love it, and that they find it a really satisfying and fulfilling experience. And it's interactive now, too. Every single page has a point of interaction. So, the Miranda Kerr interview has a video that goes with it. There's an eight minute supermodel workout in the Cleo 'Body' section, and instead of just reading the pages, you can instantly watch it on your mobile phone, do the exercise with your mobile phone, or do it online, with the trainer [James Duigan]... and it only take eight minutes! In the beauty section, we look at how to apply false lashes and there's a video, so you can watch it online or on your mobile. We've got a beauty app that's coming as well. So the whole magazine is interactive; it's not just the print product."

"Anna Quinn is the new publisher of all the young women's lifestyle titles here at Bauer and she has made sure that the whole team, not just editorial, is really on board with the new direction. The whole team has invested in this relaunch. Marne Schwartz is the head of new media at Bauer and he's created a beauty app. We've had creative director Carolyn Innis involved making the amazing new television ad and the brand ad. Anna's made sure that every single aspect of Bauer is so exciting. Everyone is so excited about the Cleo relaunch, I can't even tell you! Everyone is pumped about it."

People in the industry know about your father - Max Markson - and his PR background. Do you think it's a boost for who you are and what you do? That it has helped you understand and know the industry inside out, having grown up around it and seen it?

Shari: "I guess I grew up with PR, so that made me never, ever, ever, ever, ever want to be involved in PR! I am very committed to journalism and investigating stories and telling the truth and again, I am a purist. It's all about perspective, it's all about balance and it's all about uncovering the truth. And it's about journalism and it's about providing for your readers - or your audience, or your viewers when I was at the Sunday Telegraph and Channel 7 and now Cleo - and providing a service for our audience. And investigate stories for them; I believe that really strongly, so I think that's what's been of help here, rather than having an expertise in fashion or beauty, per se."

Exciting times! Here is the new Cleo magazine logo :

Cleo magazine burst onto the scene in 1972, and its provocative cover stories had people talking immediately. The first issue sold out quick smart - and the new issue, on sale today tackling issues that matter to young girls. And for the first time, there is no big sex-sell on the cover.

Bauer Media/Cleo magazine commissioned Sweeney Research to undertake the biggest study into young women in the last decade.

1500 girls aged 14-26 were interviewed nationally over a three-month period, with video diaries and focus groups conducted.

Exclusive results from the study found:

• 69% per cent are living at home with their parents.
• 41% of total respondents have not had sex.
• Only 7% per cent have had a one-night stand in the past six months.
• Drug, alcohol and cigarette use is down since 2010 (drugs were 16% in 2010, now 2%; alcohol was 73%, now 61%; cigarettes were 24%, now 14%) while consumption of fast food has risen 4% since 2010.
• The GFC has affected them – they care about saving money just as much as having fun, and 97% want to buy a property by the time they’re 27 years old.
• 66% per cent are single.
• 55% per cent say their parents are a major influence on their life.

The new coverlines and content inside the mag echo its new direction:

THE GREAT CLOTHES RIP-OFF: Zara and Topshop are charging Australian shoppers up to 45 per cent more than girls in the UK and US for the exact same dresses, a Cleo investigation has found. The clothing giants admit to the price difference but blame high Aussie rents, wages and transport costs.

KELLY OSBOURNE, in her exclusive column, talks about why “life is just shit sometimes”. “It sometimes feels like it just never f*cking ends. But all of life’s curve balls have taught me something: there is no point wallowing in your own self-pity. Not for one second do I think I’m the only person in the world going through this shit. If I did, I’d just be an ignorant asshole. There are millions of people going through this stuff, and I want them to know they are not alone.”

30% OF GIRLS AT UNI SAY THEY’VE HAD NON-CONSENSUAL SEX: Cleo’s exclusive access to the new National Union of Students (MNUS) survey shows that 30% of girls say they have had sex when they were unable to give consent and 68% have had an unwanted sexual experience, yet only 3.1% reported the incident to their uni and only 2.6% to the police. After Cleo reporters uncovered harassment and appalling treatment of girls at O-Week, there are calls, by Today and 2GB host Ben Fordham and model Nikki Phillips, for harsher penalties for the male bullies and booze bans.

WOMEN ON THE PILL ARE MORE ATTRACTED TO PRETTY BOYS: Taking the Pill changes the type of man a women prefers, according to brand new research by Dr Craig Roberts, psychologist at Scotland’s Stirling University. The 2013 research, out now in the new edition of Cleo, shows women who take the Pill are attracted to less masculine-looking men as partners than women who aren’t taking the oral contraceptive. Sharri Markson, editor of Cleo, says clearly it’s not all chiselled abs, macho men and cheeky smiles that make our knees go weak. 

HOW MANY JOBS DOES IT TAKE TO FIND THE ONE? Girls in their twenties switch jobs on average FIVE times, new data shows. Recruitment agencies say it’s not the black mark it once was as it builds different skill sets.

KEPT AS A SLAVE IN WESTERN SYDNEY:  Aisha, now 24, tells Cleo she was kept as a slave in western Sydney after she was forced into marrying a ‘brute’ against her will. Minister Pru Goward estimates there are around 1,000 of these cases a year across Australia.  

Forced marriages are not to be confused with arranged marriages, says Professor Jennifer Burn, director of Anti­-Slavery Australia. Forced marriages are entered into without the consent of one or both parties and take place due to duress, coercion or fraud. 

PLUS:

Geordie Whore: Geordie Shore’s Gary Beadle has slept with over 300 girls but reveals he wouldn’t marry a girl unless she had slept with less than 10 men.

Lisa Wilkinson, Today host and former Cleo editor, still feels guilt about bringing awareness to bulimia. In 1982, no magazine had touched on the issue and Cleo ran a feature. “I struggle with how many girls that feature helped and how many would have read it and thought, ‘Wow, that’s a great way to lose weight’.”

Pube-hurty blues:  Cleo columnist Jess Rudd [yes, Kevin's daughter, and an author in her own right] asks how bikini hair became the new underarm hair. 

Here is behind the scenes Miranda Kerr vid:



Says Sharri: "The Miranda interview is really fantastic. She does for the first time reveal that there have been challenges in her relationship with Orlando Bloom, and she's never spoken about that before. Plus, she talks about modelling no longer being her top priority. But it's her relationship with her husband she has never spoken about before, and we have that in this edition of Cleo."

Here are the first two pages of the Miranda interview in the mag [grab your copy of Cleo to read the full interview... it's a meaty one]:

The new edition of Cleo is on sale today. Grab your copy quick!