Life-changing help
29 October 2010 By CPL Zenith King
THE Australian Medical Task Force provided life changing medical assistance when they presented a long term polio sufferer and flood victim with crutches on October 3.
Nadia, a 12-year-old girl from the Punjab region of Pakistan, currently travels every second day from her home to be treated by the medical staff at Kot Addu.
RAN medical officer LEUT Joel Hissink, HMAS Penguin, said the first time he saw Nadia she was very shy, timid and unsure about what was going on.
“Since the first time she came in she has completely changed,” he said.
“On the day we gave her the crutches she was smiling and laughing and really interactive with the nurses and doctors. It was an amazing transformation.
LEUT Hissink said Nadia seemed pleased to have the crutches which the nurses had decorated with stickers and signed.
“Seeing her smiling and walking with both crutches and standing up straight was amazing,” LEUT Hissink said.
“The problem with the stick was that she was always hunched over. Using that stick over a long period of time would have resulted in secondary injuries due to poor posture.”
LEUT Hissink said the crutches were a small step to a full recovery.
AusAID nurse Marlene Ball said that, because she has coped with polio since birth, she is probably quite used to it.
“Before we gave her the crutches she was walking with a stick and used both of her hands to balance,” she said.
“Nadia can now stand up straight with the crutches and once she is confident she will be able to move around with only one crutch giving her a free hand for the first time in her life.”
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