Time is running out for an 81-year-old mother who is caring for a son in desperate need of expensive, specialist surgery.
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About two years ago, when Matthew Hayes failed to call his mother before getting on a plane in Houston to come back to Tasmania, she knew something was wrong.
Growing concerned, Margaret Gabbedy-Hayes managed to make contact with the hotel he had been staying at.
"He was discovered unconscious on the floor of the hotel two hours before he was due to fly out," Mrs Gabbedy-Hayes, from Burnie, said.
"During a fall in Houston ... he hit his head and two days later collapsed with bleeding on the brain and multiple strokes."
Nine months in hospital, a major Go Fund Me campaign and one international transfer later, Mr Hayes appeared to be making excellent progress and moved in with his mother.
However, less than a year after his release from hospital the former audio engineer for Channel 7 has developed severe tremors, making it almost impossible to eat and stand unaided.
"Luckily ... his intelligence, memory and sense of humour are intact along with his lovely personality," Mrs Gabbedy-Hayes said.
"As an 81-year-young lady my time to help is limited. I love him unconditionally and with a passion."
It's this passion which encouraged her to 'swallow her pride' and reach out for help.
Cue the Burnie Masonic Lodge.
"We're always looking for things we can help with," Worshipful Master Stewart Freeman said.
"In this case, it was actually his mum's situation that concerned us ... she's down to about 44 kilograms. She's lost a stone.
"It's from the stress of it all."
He said Mrs Gabbedy-Hayes contacted them, explaining the surgery was too expensive on the private system, and too long a wait on the public.
"She's sold nearly everything, she's at the point of nearly selling her house.
"She's worked so hard for her two sons all their life, she's been a single mother since Matthew was about seven or eight."
He said the Lodge had been able to immediately provide $10,000 towards the $34,000 surgery, and were planning more fundraising.
"We're going to reach out to everyone we can think of, Rotary clubs, pollies. We'll set up something formal,too."
Contact burniemasoniclodge@hotmail.com.au to help.