Caption Pic 1: Bindisa Powaseu
Caption Pic 2: Bindisa carried by Lady Ni Cragnolini and
Catherine Porter.
By
Matthew Vari
Sunday, May 17, 2015 (Sunday Weekly Magazine)
WHILE
life goes on in the big city of Port Moresby, with the hustle and bustle of
presidential visits, regional games events, the price of commodities, to the
day to day saga in the political arena’s- take a moment to reflect to the
corridors leading into some of the country’s hospitals and clinics where young
children have grown up with the smell of medicine, disinfectant, and the white
shades which is the color of most of our main hospital interiors.
True
enough, there are children who have been born in hospitals that have known
nothing about the world around them than that of the medical environment.
Bindisa
Powaseu is one such soul, who from birth has had 6 of her 7 years of life spent
going in and out of hospital.
The
special case with Bindy is that she has Renal Tubular Acidosis (RTA is a medical condition that
involves an accumulation of acid in the body due to a failure of the kidneys to appropriately acidify the urine) with Nephrocalcinosis (is a term originally used to
describe deposition of calcium salts in the renalparenchyma),
along with other complications.
In a
letter written to The PNG Children's Foundation, through foundation President
Yiannis Nicolaou for assistance in helping little Bindi- support for the little
fighter has come from the hearts of individuals trying to make a difference for
the forgotten hospital generation fighting to live.
Catherine Porter, who has taken the lead to
help provide treatment for Bindi- stated that the main issue is that there has
never been a full investigative study into what is wrong, which as a result there
has been no ongoing treatment.
“Little
Bindi, takes special medications daily, which has been a burden for her family
to supply. Her father, unemployed, as he has to look after Bindy at the hospital
as her maternal parent left the family when Bindy was a still a baby,” Porter
wrote.
“She
lives with constant pain but always has a smile at the ready for everyone.”
“Bindy
needs financial assistance to get the medical care she has sadly lacked for the
past six years. Bindy is only 7 years old and doesn’t know what it’s like
to live a normal pain free life.”
Porter
explained that more tests were needed and to eventually have Bindy referred
overseas for treatment.
“I
realized that this task was too much for me alone and I reached out for help by
setting up a Facebook page dedicated to Bindy,” Potter added.
The
letter got a response in the form of Yiannis Nicolaou presenting Bindi with
K15,000 required to conduct the necessary tests needed, which he said the
foundation was honored to assist.
Twivey
Lawyers, where Catherine Porter is their Corporate Services Manager, has set up
a Trust account and will be looking after all funds raised towards Bindy’s
treatments.
Thanks a lot Catherine for your efforts. Bindy would not have received help if it was not for you.
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