ROMAC Newsletter #14clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000050056/en-ca/... · ROMAC thanks Emerald...

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NEWSLETTER #14 NEWSLETTER #14 Heart problems didn’t spoil Junior’s Christmas! ROMAC met a cute lile boy named John Junior when he arrived from Honiara for inial tests at Westmead Hospital accompanied by his mother Junita. Junior suffered from a heart malformaon and at 7 kilos was very underweight for his age. Unfortunately the Honiara Hospital does not have surgical facilies available to operate on him. Being less than 8 kilos in weight for his age of 2 years and 3 months, he also suffered from breathing problems and no prospect of a normal life. It was quite a new experience being in Sydney – a very different world to what they had been used to! It was decided that his surgery would be carried out at Randwick Children’s Continued inside... Ricky’s no longer ashamed of himself Heldericky (aka Ricky) had a vascular malformation in his leg, which meant the leg muscles did not develop normally and he had chronic pain. Professor Tony Penington at St Vincent's Private Hospital in East Melbourne operated for six hours and was followed by extensive physiotherapy. All the treatment was provided to ROMAC free of charge, so we are very grateful. Ricky was superbly hosted by Jason and Intha Chey, of the Rotary Club Moorleigh-Moorabbin, and supported by the ROMAC team in District 9810 during his 2 month stay in Melbourne. He was well entertained and also received English lessons from Intha, who is a teacher. He was lent a guitar and i-pad throughout his stay, and had many oungs including a vocaonal visit to Continued inside… Left Johnson & Johnson MD and ROMAC Ambassador Gavin Fox-Smith with John Junior and mother Junita at the recent Carols in the Common event. Jesuina’s heartfelt thanks for a new life Jesuina and her mother Teresa arrived in Melbourne from East Timor with minimal clothing and were not prepared for the unexpected cold weather. They were taken by their hosts John and Judy Berends to the local shopping centre and were fortunate to find a young lass who spoke Indonesian and assisted them with the language challenges whilst they were kied out with new clothes. The majority of the next day was spent at Monash Medical Centre, with the aendance of James (a local member of the East Timor community) who assisted with translaon. Soon they arrived at the hospital for Jesuina’s open heart surgery. Professor Andrew Cochrane and his team of volun- teers once again worked their magic and, aer a number of hours, Jesuina came out of surgery with tubes aached. Seeing her daughter like this was rather Continued inside…

Transcript of ROMAC Newsletter #14clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000050056/en-ca/... · ROMAC thanks Emerald...

Page 1: ROMAC Newsletter #14clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000050056/en-ca/... · ROMAC thanks Emerald Press (02) 9846 6100 for thei NL#14 Feb16 r continued support I would really like

N E W S L E T T E R # 1 4N E W S L E T T E R # 1 4

Heart problems didn’t spoil Junior’s Christmas! ROMAC met a cute li�le boy named John Junior when he arrived from Honiara for ini�al tests at Westmead Hospital accompanied by his

mother Junita. Junior suffered from a heart malforma�on and at 7 kilos was very underweight for his age. Unfortunately the Honiara Hospital does not have surgical facili�es available to operate on him. Being less than 8 kilos in weight for his age of 2 years and 3 months, he also suffered from breathing problems and no prospect of

a normal life. It was quite a new experience being in Sydney – a very different world to what they had been used to! It was decided that his surgery would be carried out at Randwick Children’s Continued inside...

Ricky’s no longer ashamed of himself Heldericky (aka Ricky) had a vascular

malformation in his leg, which meant

the leg muscles did not develop

normally and he had chronic pain.

Professor Tony Penington at

St Vincent's Private Hospital in East

Melbourne operated for six hours

and was followed by extensive

physiotherapy. All the treatment

was provided to ROMAC free of

charge, so we are very grateful.

Ricky was superbly hosted by

Jason and Intha Che�y, of the Rotary

Club Moorleigh-Moorabbin, and

supported by the ROMAC team in

District 9810 during his 2 month stay

in Melbourne.

He was well entertained and

also received English lessons from

Intha, who is a teacher. He was lent a

guitar and i-pad throughout his stay,

and had many ou�ngs including a

voca�onal visit to Continued inside…

Left Johnson & Johnson MD and ROMAC Ambassador Gavin Fox-Smith with

John Junior and mother Junita at the recent Carols in the Common event.

Jesuina’s heartfelt thanks for a new life Jesuina and her mother Teresa arrived in Melbourne from East Timor with

minimal clothing and were not prepared for the unexpected cold weather.

They were taken by their hosts John and Judy Berends to the local shopping

centre and were fortunate to find a young lass who spoke Indonesian and

assisted them with the language challenges whilst they were ki�ed out with

new clothes. The majority of the next day was spent

at Monash Medical Centre, with the a�endance

of James (a local member of the East Timor

community) who assisted with transla�on.

Soon they arrived at the hospital for

Jesuina’s open heart surgery. Professor

Andrew Cochrane and his team of volun-

teers once again worked their magic and,

a@er a number of hours, Jesuina came out

of surgery with tubes a�ached. Seeing her

daughter like this was rather Continued inside…

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No longer ashamed... Lewis Engineering, Healesville Sanctuary,

Kooyong Tennis stadium, Australian-Timorese Community mee�ngs and

Rotary clubs. Ricky's English was basic when he arrived but now he has

been able to write this note:

Through the operation at St Vincent's hospital, I feel my life will become

normal again. Before the opera-on I was disabled from the age of 3 years

old. With my disability I always felt

I was different from other people.

I felt shy and ashamed to be with other

people. The opera-on meant so

much to me as it almost could fix my

foot to 90 degrees. I can be strong

and live my life with happiness and

without pain. Everything will be

okay if I have good health and am

without disability and pain. I will

then be sa-sfied with my life and

not ashamed of myself.

I am grateful to ROTARY and

ROMAC which sponsored me to get

medical treatment. Also to my host

family in Melbourne who were look-

ing a7er me and trea-ng me like

their son. Then to all the people who

supported me with prayer and every-

thing else.

I love you all, Ricky. Ricky and Jason at the golf clubRicky and Jason at the golf club

Weak and breathless Crisma was adopted by her caring aunt Crisma was born on 26 December 2006 in the Solomon Islands, so she

was named for Christmas. At birth the duct between the two major

blood vessels leading from the heart did not close off, causing a

condi�on known as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

If Crisma had been born in Australia this PDA would have

been closed when she was �ny but this surgery was not available

in the Solomon Islands. Over �me this large opening led to high

pressure in the pulmonary artery and her heart muscle was geEng

weaker, causing her to

become weak, �red and

breathless.

Tragically, Crisma's

mother passed away and

she did not have access to schooling in her village. Luckily her aunt Caroline,

who lives in Honiara, recently agreed to foster Crisma and seek treatment

for her. She also sent her to school for the first �me.

ROMAC arranged for Crisma and her aunt Caroline to fly to Melbourne

where they were welcomed by District 9800 ROMAC Chairman Jim Prokhovnik,

host "Mum" Helena Wimpole and Rob Winspear, Rotary Club of Glenferrie

President . Crisma had her heart surgery at Royal Children's Hospital Mel-

bourne and recovered very quickly. She and Aunt Caroline stayed with

Helena Wimpole for just over a month. Helena was a very kind and caring

host arranging outings for them, including visits to the zoo and the aquarium.

Helena also started teaching Crisma to read and write English, and her

ability to learn, improved drama�cally during her stay. Thanks to ROMAC

the Life Giving change from a sick li�le girl to a healthy, self confident 9-year

-old was wonderful to see.

Crisma and Caroline Crisma and Caroline

with host Helena Wimpolewith host Helena Wimpole

Kirribilli House success

What a wonderful night, raising almost

$20,000 for ROMAC. We were able to

wander outside and enjoy the gardens

and magnificent views of Sydney

Harbour with ROMAC’s local and inter-

state friends who certainly enjoyed the

Australian Prime Minister’s official

home. We were entertained by the

Oxford Falls Grammar School Senior

Woodwind Ensemble who were

delightful. ROMAC’s Ambassador Rosie

Lotawa, above left with ROMAC District

Chair Maria Moran, gave a wonderful,

heartfelt speech on being the 5th

ROMAC

child to be treated in Australia, how

scared she was when she first arrived,

her operations and recovery and her

wonderful new life now as a proud

Australian citizen. ROMAC is as proud

of Rosie as she is with us. Rosie also

thanked former Prime Minister’s wife

Margie Abbott, Eastern Region Chair

Ron Delezio, ROMAC Board Members

and ROMAC supporters in attendance

for their involvement and support of

this event.

An exciting end to the night had

our guests unable to leave due to the

arrival of Prince Charles and Camilla,

the Duchess of Cornwall, at Admiralty

House next door. They had to be

se�led in before we could leave which

added a bit of excitement to our

already wonderful evening.

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A great eye opener for Viniana Viniana came back to New Zealand’s Starship Hospital for follow-up surgery for a

severe encephalocele. Paediatric Eye Surgeon Shaun Dai felt it would be worth-

while to insert a new lens and remove her large congenital cataract. Her le@ eye

had been totally destroyed and she had only a �ny degree of sight in her right

eye. She had in fact been declared func�onally blind. ROMAC’s New Zealand

Region’s Secretary Sharon with husband Wayne looked after Viniana, even taking

her Christmas shopping! Remarkably Viniana was seeing everything in the shops

through her one eye, and was so excited, running around looking at every

object! She chose a pair of sunglasses to protect her eyes from the sun and was

excited when visi�ng the beach to see the sea for the first �me! Sharon and

Wayne also took her to see all the street fairy lights of Auckland in the evening,

which was a truly exciting experience. Viniana will be coming back for fitting of

a prosthe�c eye (to match her right eye) and also to fit her with glasses to further improve her exis�ng sight.

Heart problems... Hospital. Junior was in Intensive Care for two days and was crying

quite a lot due to being uncomfortable with all the wiring linked to him. On discharge he and mother Junita were given accommodation post-op with host parents Liz and Hans Rupp

(Rotary Club of Glenhaven) for eight days, which did them the world of good. Junior was full of energy, could breathe normally and put on weight rapidly a@er his life saving opera�on and, thanks to ROMAC, will now grow into a healthy child. ROMAC gives sincere thanks to Rotary Club of North Ryde member Liane Corbe�

who managed Junior’s case with the support of her Club who, along with the Macquarie Park Rotary Club have run the

“Carols in the Common” since the year 2000. This popular event usually

a�racts 6,000 - 10,000 people with the

majority of proceeds go to ROMAC. We’re delighted to add that Johnson & Johnson is a major supporter of this event and it was wonderful to welcome Junior and Junita to this ex-cellent carol singing night prior to their return home to the Solomon

At Carols in the Common from left to right District 9685 ROMAC Chair Philip

Smith, host mother Liz Rupp (Rotary Club of Glenhaven], Darryl Harkness Vice

President DePuy Synthes, host dad Hans Rupp (Rotary Club of Glenhaven),

John Junior, mum Junita, ROMAC Deputy Chair Rob Wilkinson, Gavin Fox-

Smith and ROMAC volunteer Liane Corbett (Rotary Club of North Ryde).

Jesuina’sthanks...a shock for Teresa! They received visitors from

the East Timor community, who brought them familiar food and also had

a visit from a rela�ve who lived in Melbourne.

Jesuina was discharged and returned with her mother to her hosts

John and Judy. Jesuina was given a number of medica�ons at post op

when they were advised that she would be ready to go home to East Timor

in about one week.

While recovering from her opera�on, Jesuina and Teresa spent a day

at Healesville Sanctuary and also went out for a special dinner hosted by

John and Judy at a local Chinese Restaurant.

Helpers from the East Timor community also

attended. John and Judy said their final

goodbyes to Jesuina and Teresa as they

headed for home.

A ‘new girl’ with a new and healthy

start to life, thanks to the work of Monash

Medical Centre, Professor Cochrane and his

team, their hosts John and Judy plus

ROMAC and the sponsor Club – the Rotary

Club of Carrum Downs. Le7 at the Sanctuary with mother, right with

Professor Cochrane

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MISSION: To provide specialist treatment for children from developing countries in the form MISSION: To provide specialist treatment for children from developing countries in the form

of life saving and dignity restoring surgery not accessible to them in their home country. of life saving and dignity restoring surgery not accessible to them in their home country.

YES!

NL#14 Feb16

ROMAC th

anks

Emerald Press

(02

) 98

46 610

0 fo

r their co

ntinue

d su

pport I would really like to save a child’s life. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

Donate securely online: www.romac.org.au or www.romac.org.nz or post below.

I enclose a cheque for ( ) $25 ( ) $50 ( ) $75 ( ) $100 ( ) $250 ( ) $500 ( ) $1,000 ( ) $2,500 ( ) Other $____________

Debit my ( ) Visa ( ) MasterCard for a ( ) one-off or ( ) monthly $________ that I can cancel at any /me.

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Postcode_________ Tel_______________________ Email ___________________________________________

No more hiding behind a blanket Baby Zoe arrived from Vanuatu with her mother Qwendolyne for

treatment at New Zealand’s Starship Hospital in Aukland.

The neurosurgery involved incision across her scalp and sawing

through her skull. Forehead skin was pulled down to her eyebrows and

the whole forehead bone removed. The protruding brain �ssue,

(encephalocele) was then excised and meninges sealed.

The Neurosurgeon’s work took over two hours.

The faciomaxillory surgeon, a plas�c surgeon and finally the facial

cosme�c surgeon took over 5 hours to reconstruct Zoe’s face.

The top le@ sec�on of the removed frontal bone was used to fill

the defect above her nose, where her brain had protruded.

Addi�onal frontal bone was used to construct her new nose.

The two facial surgeons spent over an hour on the le@ eye alone,

and also on Zoe’s mouth. Zoe healed very well and Qwendolyne was

very excited to be taking her home and able to show her off in public,

instead of hiding her behind a blanket.

A great example of how ROMAC provides Life giving surgery to

children from our nearest neighbouring islands.

Why support ROMAC? ROMAC is exclusively run by Rotarian volunteers with no salaries, no offices

and no company cars. Even more suppor�ng are our humanitarian

doctors and their teams who rarely charge fees. Whilst some hospitals

do charge us, their costs are o@en heavily reduced and some�mes as

good as free.

It’s also comfor-ng to know that whilst the children are from

overseas, the money you donate is spent in our own country and never

sent overseas.

Please consider making a financial dona�on to ROMAC. Consider

sugges�ng to your friends, fellow spor�ng friends, work colleagues and your

relatives that they too could change and save deserving children’s lives with a donation or,

perhaps, by organising a fund raiser.

Find out more: To answer your ques�ons, request a ROMAC presenta�on or any other informa�on you may want please visit

www.romac.org.au or www.romac.org.nz This will help you to know more about our children and how we operate,

how easy it is to be a host Rotary Club, the joys of being a carer or occasional pa�ent driver, maybe hos�ng a pa�ent and

guardian (now that’s an interesting, eye opening and very rewarding experience).

Our websites will also enable you to locate your nearest ROMAC representative.

Zoe before

her operation

and, top, 2 weeks

after the operation.

> ROMAC c/o PO Box 779, Parrama�a, NSW 2124, Australia. www.romac.org.au > 8a Lifford Place, Mt Roskill South,

Auckland 1041, New Zealand. www.romac.org.nz