Young Isla was born with Apert syndrome. Isla's mother Kylie stopped working to take care of her daughter, as well as her 14-year-old son.

Unfortunately, Isla's treatment has meant many trips to Melbourne for surgery and specialist appointments. This has left the family of three in a predicament that many families face in regional areas - who travels and who supports the other children.

Like any parent who is also a carer, for Kylie the thought of what would happen when she is no longer here. But the next thought quickly puts her at somewhat of ease.

"But the community is sensational," she said.

And that's the difference if you call Northern Tasmania home. As a community we live the adage: it takes a village to raise a child.

Here at The Examiner we proudly support families travelling for treatment with the David Chaplin Memorial Trust.

Isla and her family have been a recipient of the fund over the years.

The fund was created following the death of young David back in 1961. He had a rare heart condition and the 20-month-old was given four weeks to live. A surgeon in the US offered to help, but the cost was prohibitive.

The Examiner called for community support and within 14 hours more than twice the £2000 needed was raised (more than $100,000 in today's currency).

Unfortunately, David died two days short of the procedure. The community was left with a lot of money so it was decided the trust would be formed to fund travel costs for families who need to seek medical care interstate. Every year tens of thousands of dollars are given to Northern Tasmanian families.

We wish we lived in a world where children were not facing life-threatening conditions. But, like Kylie, we are grateful to live in a part of the world where we do what we can to help our neighbours.