The world shifted for Ari Pegios when he became a father to his son, Dimitri.
‘He has become our whole world. The three of us are just one happy family,’ Ari shared ahead of Father’s Day.
‘Family’s the most important thing to me now.’
Dimitri was born at 35 weeks gestation at Monash Medical Centre.
The day after he was born, he had surgery at Monash Children’s Hospital to remove an obstruction in his bowel.
New parents Ari and Vicki Pegios with their son, Dimitri in Nest.
‘The surgery was expected. We found out a couple of months before his due date.’
‘He’s been in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), getting special care and amazing attention from all the nurses, doctors and surgeons. We’ve had an amazing experience here.’
The past few months have been an emotional rollercoaster for Ari and his wife, Vicki.
‘Ari’s been amazing. He’s been my rock. I don’t know what I would have done without him,’ said Vicki Pegios.
Eight-week-old Dimitri in his father’s arms.
On Father’s Day, 8-week-old Dimitri will be visited by his grandfathers, pappou Perry and pappou Dimitri. He is proudly named after his maternal granddad.
We wish Ari a very special first Father’s Day or in Greek, Καλή γιορτή του πατέρα!
Celebrate and thank
Today, we celebrate dads, stepfathers, adoptive and foster dads, grandfathers raising grandchildren, and those who take on fatherly roles in the lives of others. We extend our thanks to those working across our health service, who balance their caring roles at home and at work.
We also acknowledge that Father’s Day can be a difficult time for many. For those who have experienced loss, faced struggles with conception, or are missing their fathers today, we hold you in our thoughts.