Locals contributed more than $5500 to the All for Ally fundraiser at Johnny & Lyle across the weekend, with the total money raised now close to $40,000.
Johnny & Lyle owner Amy Wright, who organised the fundraiser to assist in the care of her niece Ally, said she was blown away by the support of the towns.
“It was phenomenal,” she said.
“To raise $5500 in two days means so much to us. We sold a lot of coffees and cookies, so much so we were struggling to keep up.
“On top of that the cash donations people were willing to make were incredible. People were throwing money at us — in a nice way of course — and we cannot thank them as a family enough.”
But news took an even more positive turn on the weekend in regards to Ally's health.
“I rang my sister to update her on what was happening at our end, and she had some amazing news,” Amy said.
“Ally came off her CPAP (breathing) machine yesterday, she was breathing on her own, which is incredible.”
Ally was born with a cleft palate, a microform cleft lip and a small jaw, which has necessitated the use of breathing machines since birth.
“There is even talk of her possibly being able to be transferred back to Bendigo by the end of this week. It's such a huge thing for all of us to have great news like this.”
There is still a long road for Ally ahead, and Amy says she still has some ideas up her sleeve in order to help support her niece.
But for now, all she wants is to thank those who have given to support Ally.
“People were just beautiful,” she said.
“They braved the cold, they came and donated, and we cannot thank our community enough for everything they have done for us.”
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