Jade Michelle (21), and fiance Dave Salmon (26), are living at Auckland's Ronald McDonald House while their son Mackye (1) awaits open heart surgery at Starship Hospital.
The Central Otago family are finding it difficult to fund their open-ended stay in the North Island, while expenses such as rent continue at home.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times from Auckland, Ms Michelle said a stressful wait in hospital was being made worse by mounting costs associated with food, travel, and time off work.
Mackye's surgery was booked for today, after the family arrived in Auckland on February 16.
Ms Michelle said her son underwent a bronchostomy last week to remove fluid from his under-developed lungs in order for the surgery to go ahead.
It came just after Mackye celebrated his first birthday in hospital on February 17.
"We are having to tap his lungs every day and hope the operation will go ahead.
After that it should be about 10 days before we can go home, providing there are no complications," she said.
While the family are away, Ms Michelle's mother Lynda, of Alexandra, is appealing to the local community for support, and has established a way for people to give money to the couple through the National Bank in Alexandra.
Self-titled "Granny Mav", she said it was hard to watch her daughter struggle with a short supply of money when her only grandson's ailing health was at risk.
Mackye was born with heart and lung defects, which were first discovered by a midwife when he was 3 weeks old.
Ms Michelle said he was taken to Dunedin Hospital, where doctors confirmed his atrial septum defect, ventricular septum defect, and pulmonary stenosis.
While heart failure was imminent, doctors initially thought Mackye's open heart surgery could wait until he was 2 or 3 years old.
In the last year his condition worsened however, with bouts of bronchitis and mild pneumonia.
Anyone wanting to help the family can do so through the National Bank in Alexandra.
