One of the finest attributes of the Australian spirit is Mateship. Helping your mates without question and without expectation.
The Australian heavy metal scene is no exception with mateship deeply entrenched within.
It’s this mateship and support that has lead to many of the country’s leading heavy bands to rally around young Kai Goddard, the son of Sydney rock photographer Mick Goddard.
Kai was born on May 27, 2008 with the odds stacked against him. It was discovered during a difficult pregnancy that he had ‘tetralogy of fallot’ essentially, a hole in his heart. His liver was also outside of his body.
Kai’s condition was so high risk that his parents Mick and Lisa were advised to terminate him. He had a 1 in 4 chance of making it.
Immediately after Kai was born, several surgeries were performed to put his liver back and repair his heart. Complications were inevitable and Kai suffered a collapsed lung, his liver dislodged and moved into his chest cavity, and the doctors found his appendix in his scrotum. Kai had 4 surgeries in his first 4 months of life and spent his first 80 days in the hospital.
During operation number 5, Kai suffered a major heart attack which required him to go on an ECMO machine which pumped his blood for him.
He stayed on it for 11 days. Usually after 2 days, you don’t come off it alive and the Doctors told Mick and Lisa to be prepared to say goodbye.
Ultimately Kai’s spirit and will to survive got him (and his parents) through one of the toughest ordeals possible.
For a very in depth article of Kai’s earliest days on this planet please read Mick’s story at
Miracle Babies
While surviving his first year with more battle scars than most people collect over a lifetime, Kai still requires constant medical care and attention.
As he approaches his 9th birthday, Kai continues to undergo operations and suffers from myriad health problems.
This is where the metal community steps in. Mick along with one of the nations greatest ever guitar players, Stu Marshall (ex Dungeon, Death Dealer, Empires Of Eden)
have assembled a fundraiser CD to assist in covering the immense medical costs facing Kai and his family.
All tracks have been graciously donated by the bands and the artwork & layout has been donated by All Things Rotten
The CD is called Kingdom Of Kai and features top Australian metal acts including
Lord
Taberah
Vanishing Point
Silent Knight
Mason
and many more
A devoted metal fan and keen drummer, Kai is an ambassador for Aussie metal and his Dad takes a mean gig photo too!
Kingdom Of Kai is $15 plus postage and ALL profits will go straight to the Goddard family.
You can pick up a copy from www.kingdomofkai.bigcartel.com
