RWAV was instrumental in changing the lives of nine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from Mildura and Echuca. They were able to undergo ENT surgery after being on wait lists for years. The children were operated on in January 2017 by renowned ENT surgeon, Professor Stephen OâLeary at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. RWAV worked closely with Professor Stephen OâLeary, The Victorian Royal Eye and Ear Hospital and the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations- Njernda Aboriginal Cooperative, Echuca, Mallee District Aboriginal Services, Mildura and Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, Fitzroy  to ensure these children received much needed ENT surgery.
Prior to surgery, RWAV was able to talk with the children and their carers about the impact this program would have on their lives.
Bright young Darius has had ongoing hearing problems over the past five years and has been âstruggling in schoolâ said his dedicated father, Keith. Darius excels in math and reading but due to his hearing difficulties, his speech and education have suffered significantly. He has ongoing ear aches and has had to miss school at times. âHe has been receiving speech therapy for 2 years and still his pronunciation isnât clearâ says Keith. A beaming Keith says RWAV has been a âGod sendâ and looks on to his youngest son saying âhis life is going to be so different for the rest of his lifeâ. The single father who lost his wife two years ago, said he âcouldnât believeâ that they were âable to get help for his son so soon, knowing waiting lists for surgery were well over 3 yearsâ. They both look forward to a speedy recovery and enjoying their time together.
Though a bit hungry having to prepare for surgery, little Armani decided to colour while in the waiting room âin the big cityâ. Her concerned mum says she canât wait for Armani to be a âkid againâ as she is always sick and feeling tired due to complications with her tonsils. She is constantly on pain medicine and antibiotics. This surgery will âmake all the difference to the entire familyâ. Bobbi-Jean, Armaniâs mother couldnât hide her emotions saying she is âso happy, lucky and grateful and canât wait to see her daughter âgrowing up with no complications and just enjoying lifeâ.
16 year old Brodie has been on the waiting list in Mildura for surgery for over 3 years and hadnât been able to access surgery until RWAV intervened. She has missed so many days of school due to illness and infections quickly escalating to glandular fever. Her mum Sarah , is so grateful that her daughter can now commence year 10 and be able to attend school regularly and not fall back on her studies. In the past year, Brodie has had to access a specialist tutor to enable her to keep up with her missed school work. Brodie couldnât wait for her surgery to âjust get them outâ and go to school and âstop the tutoringâ. Her mum says âhopefully she can be livelier and be herselfâ rather than  being âso sick, lethargic and tired for the past 3 yearsâ. They look forward to a brighter and healthy year ahead for Brodie .
After a long drive down from Echuca, Kellie looked relaxed while Durant was busy playing with the toys in the waiting room at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. Kellie was so glad to see Durant receive surgery in Melbourne and to see the positive effects on him after the surgery. She found the coordination was done very smoothly by Njernda Medical Centre and was âso thankfulâ to RWAV for initiating the program which will make an immense difference in the life of little Durant. Kellie was grateful that they didnât have to bear the cost of surgery, accommodation and travel to Melbourne, which was very âhelpful as wellâ she said. She looks forward to him recovering soon and continue his explorations.
Eric has been suffering with bad ear aches for years now and canât wait for the operation to âstop the painâ. His mother Sally, says she even got âprivate health cover this year to try to have Eric have the surgery fasterâ. Even with private health cover the waiting list is over a year away. Eric and his mum are delighted to be in Melbourne to have his surgery and return home. Eric says he is not looking forward to âputting stuff in his ear when he goes swimmingâ but understands that after the operation, he will have to protect his ears. He looks forward to his ears not bothering him as they âhurt too muchâ.
Bubbly little Brandon was busy playing with a truck at the waiting room where his parents looked on, waiting for their sonâs surgery. Brandon has had 7 severe tonsil infections over the last year which he has had to be hospitalized for and is constantly on steroids, antibiotics and hydrolytes. He would be sick for over 2 weeks at a time and caring mum, Sage says he would not eat or drink as he is feeling so unwell. She says he hasnât gained any weight in the past 6 months which was very worrying for them.  They canât wait to see Brandon âfeel well, speak more and gain weightâ after surgery. They are so grateful for their son to be able to undergo surgery so soon and looks forward to much happier times for all of them soon.
Little Noah loves playing peek-a-boo, even while feeling hungry, as he was fasting in preparation for adenoid surgery. His supportive mother Kim says âhe only has 4 hours of sleep a night and wakes every 20 minutesâ. Noah has already had 4 hospital stays with pneumonia and Kim is positive that the surgery will âhelp Noah so muchâ. Kim is so thankful to âeveryone who helped to organise everything for usâ and is excited to see how Noah will feel after his surgery. Noah was one of the first clients to be referred into the Eye and Ear Surgical Support service program at just 4 months of age. It hasnât been until know that he has been able to access support.
Every couple of weeks Marika has  painful ear infections and has to visit the local hospital every few months when it becomes too painful. They have to then drain her ears for fluid buildup. She is hoping the surgery will help her âbreathe easier and that the ear aches will  go awayâ. After surgery she plans to eat âlots of ice creamâ and is looking forward to not having to eat âsoups and noodlesâ which is what she can eat when she is feeling sick. Marikaâs mum, Tatum says she is âreally glad to have had this opportunity for Marika to have surgery in Melbourneâ. Marika canât wait to enjoy this summer joining her brothers in the pool, free from her ear infections after her surgery.
Cloey is âirritatedâ with her constant sore throat, which gets worse at night time and she finds it hard to have a good nightâs sleep. Carrying her âbuild-a bearâ she is ready to go in for surgery and she hopes it will help her to not feel âso tired and sleepy all the timeâ. Cloeyâs mum, Kathy is âvery gratefulâ for being able see her daughter receive surgery and the support they have received to âget flights and accommodation in Melbourneâ. She wants Cloey to finally be able to enjoy playing sport, as she has not been able to before because she was always âover-tiredâ. After being on the waiting list for 3 years, she is thankful to the organisations who helped âarrange this opportunityâ.
RWAV had a quick word with Professor Stephen Oâleary on his way to the operating theatre. Professor Oâleary was delighted to be involved with RWAV to provide this life changing procedures to the 9 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from Mildura and Echuca. He said âhe was only doing his jobâ and is âglad that this service could be provided at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospitalâ. He is pleased that the children can return home with enough time to recover before they start the new school year. Professor Stephen OâLeary has been providing ENT outreach services for RWAV under the Healthy Ears program at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service in Fitzroy and Aboriginal Communities in Gippsland.
