Rebuilding a village in Vanuatu

Dargaville businessman John Bishop rolled up his sleeves to help rebuild and renovate a cyclone ravaged village in Vanuatu.

The aid project, spear-headed by the Rotary Club of Birkenhead, included rebuilding a school and constructing ablution blocks, renovating house rooves, upgrading and fixing water systems among other things in the village of Ueli, in the south eastern part of the island of Ambrym, following the devastation in 2015 from Cyclone Pam.

John spoke to the Rotary Club of Dargaville about his experiences, mostly from his second visit to the small developing country, in October.

He and his wife Margaret, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Dargaville, both initially went to Vanuatu in March/April, for 17 days and started helping with the rebuild.

“I was asked by Rotary if I would like to go and help but it’s not until you actually touch down there, that you realise the need and how helping is all worthwhile,” he says.

On the second 19-day visit, John returned on his own, while Margaret stayed back to run the couple’s busy engineering firm.

He was at first one of nine people, mostly New Zealanders, to go to the island this time but he ended up as one of only five left to help with the clean-up, when four had to leave for various reasons.

Band of helpers: John, far right, with other local and overseas volunteers during the October restoration project of Ueli Village.

One of the main objectives for the aid workers was to build three sets of double shower units –  separately for male and female villagers and for school teachers.

Previously, villagers only had small brick-like rooms for up to 24 people to use.

Other jobs included starting the rebuilding of a school, rebuilding of another structure that had been torn back to its studs and reroofing of the headmaster’s home and a church.

New Zealand pine was mostly used for the reconstructions with a small amount of Australian timber added.

Much of the material from the old buildings was recycled, unless it was unusable.

An 11km trip up a mountain to where a water pipe that fed the village water system, had become blocked, was a mission to access and a real challenge to clear. The village had no water in its communal reservoir tanks and the only water villagers had, was in their own tanks near the houses, from when it rained.

John says the rain literally “buckets” down but was intermittent at best.

“Everything is at a much slower pace there, as it was a three-quarter-hour trip to get to where we had to unblock the pipe,” he says.

The water system, which was in the process of being upgraded by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, had only been replaced once since it was first put in by the American Forces during World War II.

Seven computers acquired from Australia for the school, were solar-powered.

Manual work was quite hard going.

“No such thing as concrete mixers there,” John says. Concrete is all mixed by hand in a ground hole.

Manual worker: John gets stuck in to some manual concrete mixing.

He was able to pass on some of his own skills to locals during the construction processes.

John found himself doing various jobs including; building, making concrete, welding, plumbing and plastering.

He says there are still schools, houses and churches that need repair.
“There is some shelter but people seem to take everything in their stride there. They seem to be used to having very little anyway.”

But one of the biggest problems is the lack of ability to store food, which is abundantly grown. Crops such as taro, kumara, kava as well as the storage of imported rice.

Money can be accessed for water storage, so it is possible to obtain funding to build structures as long as they can catch the water.

John is keen to go back to Vanuatu perhaps later next year, to help with more projects such as the building of more structures.

 

Village structure: An example of a traditional building in Vanuatu.

A kindergarten is planned, which will provide not only water but an educational facility for the village.

SIDE BAR:

ABC News website:

At the time, aid agencies described Tropical Cyclone Pam, which hit Vanuatu in March 2015, as one of the worst disasters to ever hit the Pacific region.

Packing winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour, the category-five system caused widespread devastation in Vanuatu's southern provinces of Shefa and Tafea.



Have you helped out in a developing country or helped with an environmental disaster clean-up?

Tell us about your experiences. We and our readers would love to hear it!

Contact us in the comments section.

Have a great day.

BTO

Compassion is still alive and well

This lovely story about an older boy helping a disabled one-year-old was inspiring.

http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2016/08/she-secretly-photographs-what-this-boy-does-with-her-1-year-old-now-shes-searching-for.html

Sometimes children amaze us, don't they!

There is so much compassion in many people; both young and old.

These are the people who make the world a better place, as this mother points out in her impassioned, 'thank you' letter in the hope the young Samaritan may read it.

What makes some people compassionate and others not so much?

It seems that empathy or compassion is all about those who have keener brain activity and sensitivity, generally, in regard to what is going on in the world around them, compared to those who don't.
I found this article in the link below, from the ibtimes.co.uk interesting.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/why-some-people-are-genetically-more-sensitive-empathetic-others-1454042

How do you feel when someone shows you compassion, empathy, or even sympathy, especially when you've suffered some kind of great loss?

Let us know in the comments, or email to: robyndow58@gmail.com

Beating the Odds - BTO would love to hear from you. Check us out and then drop us a comment or a line!

A big multi-national company with a mandate to help others

Many organisations make it their business to help others.

Even in the midst of their busy, hopefully prosperous operations, they choose to provide such valuable assistance.

I was inspired by this particular United States health and nutrition company, which spends time with giving others a fighting chance. Sometimes, even provide an existance in areas of the world where life is difficult, to put it mildly.

https://www.facebook.com/USANAFoundation/?hc_ref=SEARCH

As the guy in the video says, medical aid for a constantly struggling country, such as Haiti with a population of up to 10 million, is made possible through various agencies working in partnership with this company.
But there seems to be endless procedures that have to be worked through, in order for people to even have access to basic health care.

Makes us very glad of where we live!

 

Difficulty: A typical scene of struggle. Photo by Common Dreams.





There are many other caring people and organisations, who devote their time and economic resources to make other people's lives more bearable.

This world would be a more difficult place without those people who are willing to take that time.

Medical care is essential in these areas, and if it wasn't for organisations that can pour revenue into aid work for these countries, it's hard to imagine how much worse those conditions could be.





Rescuers: UN mission to Haiti with supplies to help. Photo by ReliefWeb.

 

It's good to celebrate people who are willing to go and help in these places and organisations that make it possible.

 

Have you had experience in providing aid in a struggling country?

 

We would love to hear and tell your story on our blog. It would inspire others for all sorts of things. :)

 

Let us know in the comments or PM on our Facebook page or email: robyndow58@gmail.com

BTO

Leaving home at 12 to study sets Papis up for work with international company

Smile of success: West African businessman Papis Camara owes his success to his strong family connections and early education at a special military high school.

 

 

Papis Camara took his first steps at the tender age of 12 towards his current life as a successful businessman working for L’Oreal - a world leader in beauty.

The Senegal-born 34-year-old son of a judge, passed a gruelling test to study at a prestigious military high school, a long way from his beloved family and home.

He had hoped to study in Senegal but ended up in an exchange programme between two military groups, which saw him leave home at 12 and study at the school situated on the Ivory Coast.

“On average, around 2000 kids in Senegal take the test and only 60 pass it,” he says.

But Papis says the test sets children up for further study and provides the necessary discipline for life through its military-style programme.

“I have learned a lot from that experience and I believe I have become the man I am today from having attended this military high school.”

His mother, a retired midwife, did not find it easy to let her only son, the youngest of four, go off to school at such a young age but he points out, even back then, he wanted to learn from different cultures and build his life.

 

Family closeness: Papis taking time out with his mother Yacine Mane, a glorious 67-year-old.



“I was lucky to have such understanding parents, as visiting was not easy for them (parents) and three older sisters during that time, but nothing worthwhile comes easy,” Papis says.

The good-looking West African, who is now Key Account Manager for L’Oreal Professionnel, currently based between Manchester and London, says he was often a ‘model’ for his three sisters – Paris-based beauty business owner, Aminata, teacher, Deguene and mother, Fifi, when practising their cosmetics skills and calls it the, ‘chore to being the only guy in the family’.

He says he has always loved fashion and with his business and marketing skills from a business school in France, he became a good match for the international beauty organisation over nine years ago in Paris and in that time, he has held five positions - the current one for the past two months.

Family is important to Papis, after his father passed away in 2004, Papis now has his mother and numerous aunts and uncles left back home in Senegal.

He sees his job as overseeing his mother’s welfare, for the remainder of her life, whom he describes as, ‘the best mom on earth’.

“I want to become more, so that I can give (to the family) more. They are my reasons why,” he says.

Papis wants to keep inspiring, motivating and mentoring people.

On a personal note, he says he would love to share his successful life with someone and have a family some day.

From a life of making success happen for himself, his advice to anyone …

“Always believe in yourself. Because the first person to believe in you, should be yourself. Life is good and God is great!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Top marks for health group after exemplary care

I cannot let another day go past without giving a written thumbs-up to the Northland District Health Board's Whangarei Hospital and its satellite facility Dargaville Hospital on the great care I received when admitted with what could have been life-threatening conditions.



Good healthcare: My experience at Whangarei Hospital was fantastic. Photo by www.electives.net

This is my experience and I cannot speak for all.

It all started a couple of months ago, when I found myself hospitalised three times - two from complications, which resulted in the third stay and surgery.

I was first taken by ambulance to the satellite facility, where a GP stabilized me enough to be transported to Whangarei, three-quarters of an hour away, where I stayed for four days in the surgical unit while my condition was diagnosed and a decision for urgent surgery was made.

The second hospital admission was the actual surgery.

Third time, I found myself being transported again by ambulance, suffering from massive pain, to be put under the microscope but with no clear reason for the pain.

On all of these stays, health and medical staff were literally run off their feet, particularly the regional hospital at Whangarei, where the surgical unit appeared to have a revolving door.

Patients would leave the hospital, only to be replaced by new ones in a short succession of time.

At one point, I was told the unit had between 25 and 35 post-operative patients and only five nursing staff covering the lot.

During my surgery stay, I would not have been left alone, post-operatively, without a nurse checking on me every 15 to 20 minutes.

If any staff were stressed, or if there were any communication differences, you would never have known it. All were completely professional in the way they dealt with patients' and with each other.

Yet with the high amount of pressure they appeared to be under, with weight of numbers, people would be forgiven for getting a little frazzled from time to time!

I just felt it was worth giving them praise for their fantastic service and it was another example of why our health and medical professionals are held in high regard all over the world.

To your health.

Robyn

BTO

Finding peace in forgiveness

The link below leads to a post a close friend in Australia put up.

Hopefully Kiwis will be able to access the content of The Project, an Australian television programme, because the programme's website says only residents of Australia can access it.

https://www.facebook.com/andywalksnz/posts/10154325593859948?from_close_friend=1

Anyway, I have reshared the amazing comment by this presenter, on my Facebook page and I decided to write a post on this view of tolerance the presenter had about some of the world's scariest happenings right now and how we should react to them.

He's right that with the attacks we've seen lately, we can become caught up in fear, making blanket generalisations about groups of people being banned from areas of the world because of their culture or beliefs, which only achieves marginalising many thousands of good, innocent people who actually make nations better and stronger through contributing valuable things from various cultures.

We do need to Send Forgiveness Viral and try to practice tolerance, even though it often goes across the grain of human nature. My own included.

Hopefully, if this kind of attitude can become the norm instead of the hate being pedalled, even from some leaders in the world, it can only be better for international relations and keeping the lid on those events that are scary.

Thoughts go out to the places that have been under pressure recently and here's hoping the people there can find some kind of peace.

BTO

Tides and winter activities

Here is a website with some quite good tidal information.

It's more for surfers but gives an idea of the tide times.

People are warned to check the tides for themselves before embarking on anything on or around the coast.

http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Baylys-Beach/tides/latest

 



There seems to be plenty to do during the winter months in Northland, even though we are a water-activity region.

Check out the website below for some interesting trips around the area, to blow the coop, during these cooler months.

http://nzdcr.co.nz/winter-driving-tours-winterless-northland-new-zealand/

Putting people first in health - opinion

By ActionStation team,

 

It's the dead of night and you've just arrived at your local hospital.

 

Your hands are shaking and your throat is thick because your son, daughter, parent, or partner is ill.

 

But it's going to be okay – because soon you'll see a doctor.

 

Now imagine an eight-hour wait in the emergency room. And when a doctor finally gets to you, she/he is exhausted, pushed to their limit in an underfunded hospital.

 

This is the awful reality of the Government's failure to properly fund our hospitals and DHBs.

 

Just last week it hit headlines that the Government has cut Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) short $35 million (in real terms) in state funding over the next 12 months.

That's equivalent to 2100 hip operations that cannot be funded or 555 nurses who cannot be paid.

‘Real terms’ is when funding fails to take into account inflation, population growth or increased health needs of an aging population. Ref. [1, 2, 3]

 

But there's hope. We're headed into local body elections later this year and a general election next year where health funding is set to be a major battleground for candidates. And protecting our public health system could be a key vote-changing issue.

 

That's why we need ActionStation members in every corner of the country signing up to lead a petition to save their local DHB. The petition to save Canterbury DHB is all set up and ready to go – the only thing missing is a local leader.

 

As the petition leader, you'll work with ActionStation staff to collect signatures online and in the community and organise a petition delivery to your local MP.

 

The best part?

 

You'll be supported every step of the way.

 

You don't need any particular skills or experience to be a petition leader, you just need about an hour a week and a passion to protect our DHBs.

 

ActionStation staff campaigners will be just an email away. You can also start a campaign with a group of friends or neighbours. We often find that it works well to have a group, not only because it’s more fun to work with others, but also because you can support each other and contribute different skills.

 

Reference: Canterbury District Health Board gets lowest funding increase - Stuff.co.nz

 

For more information go to: ActionStation

 

Edited.

Self esteem advice from Dr Libby - comment

From Nutritional Biochemist, author and speaker   Dr Libby    - Photo Dr Libby    Welcome to lovely June. In the spirit of winter a time of hibernation for many species I thought this month some time spent in inner reflection might be useful. Many of us have limiting beliefs about ourselves in at least one area of our lives and they can lead to poor self-esteem or confidence. You may be thriving in one area of your life, but in others you may lack confidence for a variety of reasons. People are often confused about what it means to have self-esteem. Some think it has to do with the way you look or how popular you may appear. Others believe that having a slim body will help you gain self-esteem, while some think you need to have a successful career in order to have good self-esteem. To me, self-esteem simply means appreciating yourself for all that you are, right now. Positive internal dialogue is a big part of improving your self-esteem. Many of us say things to ourselves we would never dream of saying to another person. Really think about the conversations you have with yourself. Is your internal dialogue, kind, constructive, inspiring or empowering? Catch yourself if you hear negative phrases like "I look fat", "I look old", "I hate my hair", "I'm not good enough" or "I'm a failure" and begin to explore replacing these thoughts with positive statements that affirm who you are. To begin with you may catch yourself falling back into old negative habits, but with regular effort you can gradually start to replace this internal dialogue. If you don't like what's being said, change the conversation - only you have the ability to do this. We understand that to be fit, we need to train our body, not just exercise once. The same is true for our mind. We need to practice training it for kindness. Unfortunately, many women take care of their career, homes, pets, partners, children and essentially everyone around them at the expense of caring for their own bodies and even their own health. Practice self-love daily in whatever way you are drawn to, read a book you love, make yourself a nourishing smoothie, walk with a friend, simply stand outside on the grass with the sun on your face, write in your journal or draw/paint/sew. Looking after your creativity can be as essential for your self-esteem as looking after your physical body. People, who accept who they are and feel good about their wellbeing, often emit a sense of calm and content. When we make changes from a foundation of self-acceptance, our changes are likely to be empowering and long lasting. Trying to be "good" is not motivating enough. When you decide that you're no longer going to have coffee and cake everyday, or you're going to eat more vegetables and move regularly, it must also be with an attitude of appreciation and gratitude for who you are now. In order to create a balanced and effortless relationship with your body, often there are two areas that need to be explored - food and emotions. Weight falls into place when we are healthy. As cheesy as it might sound - the key to any effective lifestyle change is to care deeply for yourself and treat yourself accordingly. In the words of Geneen Roth: treat yourself as if you are already enough, eat as if you are enough. See, look, listen as if you are enough. Because it's true. Simple ways you can improve your self-esteem from this moment on include: Do something for someone else  Exercise outside and soak up our beautiful surroundings  Write in a gratitude journal each day  Tell another person something you value about them that is not based on their appearance  Become aware of your posture, language (self-talk and what you say to others) and focus. What you focus on is what you feel. Recently, we held our Sydney Beautiful You Weekend and then on to Auckland and all set to take great care of those attending. They are such special events for so many reasons. I'm also proud to be the patron of StarJam, a wonderful charity that empowers young people with disabilities through music and performance workshops, so they learn new skills, gain confidence, have fun and grow, educating the wider community of what is possible. And this month, I'll be speaking at a fund-raising lunch with StarJam in Auckland, to which I am very much looking forward to. With warmth, Dr Libby For more information about the Auckland event mentioned, go to: www.drlibby.com

Moving foward - Inspiration

 

 

Failure is not the opposite of success;

 

it is part of success.

 

- wise words from US actor Christopher Meloni.

 

We sometimes have to walk over rough paths,

 

to start on the winning road.

 

Photos - Adobe Stock 

 

To your success!



The power of experience - Inspiration

 

 

You may have countless events happen

 

in your life ...

 

amazing, challenging, frustrating and even

 

traumatic and you don't know how or where to turn next.

 

But

 

Remember this; our experiences make us

 

what we are.

 

We have to walk through them to find

 

our full potential.

 

 

 

Embrace your life. We will never pass this way again,

 

so let's make the most of

 

every minute.

 

RRD

 

 

 



Dinner for Six - Advertisement

Are you tired of doing everything on your own?

How about giving Dinner for Six a try?

You never know, you might just meet that special person to spend the rest of your life with.

 

Come and dine out in the Northland, New Zealand city of Whangarei, to meet other interesting, genuine, single people just like yourself.

Dinner for Six organises groups of six – comprising three women and three men, to dine out together at a local restaurant.

It may be the answer you are looking for because:

·         You might be new in town and want to meet new people

·         You may be newly single and want another chance at love and friendship

Or

·         You may not have met that special someone yet

Each person pays for their own meal, plus a small hostess fee, each time they dine.

Gwenda McMurtrie began Dinner for Six back in 2000 when she decided to start organising groups of like-minded single men and women, to dine out at local restaurants.

 

The idea took off and has become a way of people finding love and friendship.

Give Dinner for Six a call and reserve your spot now!

021 639 552

Or

Email: gwendaj@xtra.co.nz

Quick arrests in small town robbery

The small rural Northland New Zealand town of Dargaville now sleeps easier since the quick arrest of two people who were involved in an early-morning robbery of tourists there.

http://policenews.nz/totara-st-dargaville/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Well done to the Dargaville Police for these arrests, following the incident at 1am, on April 24.

Our hearts, at BTO, go out to the tourists who have come here for some rest and recreation, only to have this happen. We only hope you are feeling better, especially now arrests have been made.

These occurrences are too often, not only in New Zealand but around the world, leaving people feeling uneasy.

Police would still like to hear from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious, or any information they can give in relation to this robbery.

Contact Dargaville Police CIB on (09) 439-3400, Detective Sergeant Jonathan Tier.

Information may be left anonymously, also by contacting CRIMESTOPPERS free phone 0800 555 111.

No more 'she'll be right' attitudes with health and safety

The 'she'll be right' attitude has to go out the window with tighter regulations around health and safety in New Zealand.

New laws governing H and S took effect on April 4 and if you are owning or managing industrial or even private sites where people could get hurt, you are responsible for everyone's safety.

The tighter regulations are in light of the Pike River Mine tragedy where 29 miners died.

Presenters of the new regulations and laws say, although our H and S laws are robust, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

They say there are still too many people either, not coming home at all because they have died, or they are coming home mamed for life.

http://www.business.govt.nz/worksafe/hswa

David Grindle of Northland, New Zealand law firm, WRMK, presented the new regulations and how they affect business people at a recent business breakfast meeting, hosted by the Dargaville Business Forum.
The presentation included highlighting the fact that anyone is responsible for any site where people are working and where there may be hazards.

The three high risk industries are; forestry, construction and agriculture. Death rates have fallen but are still shockingly high in these industries.

In New Zealand, there are 4.1 deaths per 100,000 workers annually.

So consequently, safety responsibility now falls on a Person Conducting Business or Undertaking Business (PCBU), on any site.

For example, if a home owner engages the services of a plumber at the home, the plumber would become the PCBU and is responsible for the safety hazards at that address.

The legal and financial consequences of not adhering to these new laws are high.

Failing to comply can result in PCBUs being hit with fines of $600,000. An individual who may not be a PCBU but may be in a leading role, could be looking at $300,000.

The responsibilities include; identifying risks or hazards, conduct training with staff, make staff totally aware of risks and hazards and ensure a hazard plan is in place, keeping records of incidents is most important.

 



Necessary skill: The frequent use of the chainsaw in the forestry industry, is necessary and takes a high level of skill.   Photo - www.alamy

Fluoridate or not to fluoridate that is the question

Fluoridation of water is a hot topic right now and has even been considered by some as a health hazard in itself.

 

Water quality: What kind of water do we want to be washing our food in. Fluoridation is a big issue world-wide. Photo www.alamy.com





See this link to a story on scoop.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1604/S00236/dhb-data-show-no-benefit-from-water-fluoridation.htm

For myself, I don't know that I like the idea of another chemical being put into drinking water involuntarily. Especially when the jury is out, as to whether it has only good effects, in this case, on oral health?

It's a big question mark for me, as I'm guessing it is for many.

However, it appears it may be coming, ready or not in New Zealand water supplies.

The government announced last week that it may give DHBs the power to force fluoridation on councils.

In light of the facts found in the Scoop story, it would appear, more homework clearly needs to be done.

Let's look at what some other expert health opinions say:

See this study done below, in 2007 and published by world research publishers Taylor & Francis, which brings up another view with some pretty concerning statistics.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10643380600678112

To me, democracy is having people's views on board with these kinds of decisions.

On researching for this post, studies way back in the early 1970s found fluoridating did reduce dental cavities but things change, the way people live changes and many variables taken into consideration then, would be very different now.

What do you think about the fluoridation issue?

Do you think it's a good thing, bad thing, or what?

Let us know in the comments!

BTO

TPPA protest planned



Protest organiser: Democrats for Social Credit deputy leader Chris Leitch strongly opposes the ratification of the TPPA in New Zealand and is seeking support with a public protest rally. Photo supplied.

Democrats for Social Credit deputy leader Chris Leitch is organising a protest rally against the possible ratification of the TPPA this week and is asking for moral support for his cause.

The rally will be held at a Whangarei TPPA promotion hui (gathering), run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, at the Distinction Hotel, Riverside Drive, on Wednesday morning.

Mr Leitch says the 8.30am protest is intended to be a peaceful gathering to highlight to participants, "there are significant negatives to New Zealand, proceeding with the TPPA".

All participants are expected to be handed material detailing those negatives in preparation for asking questions of ministry officials.

They will also be provided with an alternative proposal showing how the economy could be boosted by double that predicted for the TPPA, without any loss of sovereignty, he says.

Mr Leitch says he and his party believe the TPPA has many inherent costs and risks, such as; "the threat to climate action and our environment; the impact it will have on our public health and medicines and the cost to consumers for copyright extensions".

He says other costs and risks include, the threat to GMO labelling and country of origin labelling; the impact of harmonised risk assessment processes for GMOs and the potential for enormous costs under an ISDS claim.

In a media statement Environment and Trade ministers Dr Nick Smith and Todd McClay say the chapter of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement offers real benefits for both New Zealand’s environment and trade.

"TPP is not just good for the New Zealand economy but good for the environment. It goes much further than any other New Zealand trade agreement on issues like protecting endangered species and preventing pollution and also provides a valuable avenue for New Zealand to advance its environmental and conservation interests by working with, and pooling resources with other TPP countries," Dr Smith says.

For the first time in a free trade agreement, there is a platform for environmental cooperation with some of the world’s most advanced economies alongside developing countries.

Side bar:

National and Labour members of the Foreign Affairs & Trade select committee were served with a memorandum of injustice at recent TPPA hearings.
The memorandum, distributed by the Democrats for Social Credit party, sets out the grounds for a class action against committee members in the event they recommend ratification of the TPPA and the Democrats for Social Credit view that its subsequent implementation causes significant detriment to New Zealand or its citizens.

Before distributing the memorandums and at the conclusion of his submission against the TPPA, D for SC deputy leader Chris Leitch said, "if, as a result of you proceeding with the TPPA and the grave concerns being covered in this submission and many others, lose control of our financial system, our health, environment and most important, control over the quality and safety of our food supply, how will you or your descendants defend legal cases brought against you in the future, in a yet to be constituted forum, for the detriment inflicted upon New Zealand and both its current and future citizens".

Editor's note:

This is a significant step for New Zealand, if it becomes a reality.

Do you have an opinion about the TPPA and its effects on New Zealand?

Is ratification of the TPPA a good or bad thing for New Zealand?

Comments from anywhere in the world are welcome. We would be interested to know what you think!

 

 

 

 

A fight back to wellness

 Survivor: Christine Leydon, right, is determined to continue her journey back to health from a severe mystery illness. Pictured with her mother Shona Burkhardt. Photo supplied by family.

When you hear Christine Leydon's survival story you can see she is a fighter.

Christine, who hails from Whangarei, New Zealand, was only released from hospital a few weeks ago, after having lost most of the use of her body from an illness that still remains, for the most part, a mystery.

"Just a few days before Christmas, I woke up with a severe pain in my side, which I put down to pancreatitis, because I've been diagnosed with a chronic form of that before," she says.

But it wasn't pancreatitis and what incapacitated her is still unknown.

Christine remembers nothing of her one and a half month ordeal, from that moment on.

So, husband Gary picks up the story.

He wasted no time in getting her to the Whangarei Hospital's A and E department.

He says his wife was incoherent, hallucinating - feeling she was being kept hostage, with her speech deteriorating fast.

"Christine was admitted and put through numerous tests; including ECGs, blood, heart, to name a few," Gary says.

The couple were told there was a possibility Christine may have legionella pneumonia and there would be a considerable wait for results from tests to either confirm or rule out the condition.

She was shot to Auckland Hospital where she was given five plasma transfusions to try to get rid of any lurking bugs.

There, she was put through more tests and a type of anaemia was diagnosed which was thought to be related to the legionella condition but still not certain.

Christine was also tested for kidney and more blood problems, mild diabetes and it was noted that she had global limb weakness.

"My whole body was affected, including my hand/eye co-ordination. It seems to be coming back slowly, but I'm very shaky and my balance is all up the wop," she says.

She was close to death a couple of times but despite all this, there still seems to be no clear overall diagnosis as yet.

Health professionals haven't given her much hope of further mobility improvement and they can't rule out the possibility of the mystery illness coming back.

After a month and a half between Whangarei and Auckland hospitals, including some time in rehabilitation, Christine returned home on February 9.

She celebrated a belated family Christmas only a couple of weeks ago, having been hospitalised during the recent festive season.

But it's hard to keep a good woman down!

Christine says she is determined not to let this illness get her down and the born-again Christian says a lot of prayer and plain determination has got her back home, with some mobility and her speech.

"My philosophy is, there is always someone worse off, so what have I got to complain about?" she says.

Christine is determined to prove medical opinions wrong.

Having been an enthusiastic Rock 'n Roll dancer and dance teacher keeps her determined to get back into that and she's even put a date on it for the future.

"I love my Rock 'n Roll so much because it brings me back to my normality," she says.

She continues with both physical and neurological rehabilitation and realises the importance of doing set exercises.

"I am probably overdoing the exercises if anything, to try to improve my situation, quicker."

She says at least she's out of hospital and has days when she's feeling good and others when she's not but is generally getting on top of things.

Christine says she has to stay positive no matter what medical advice she gets about her condition.

"The medical people's job is to treat the symptoms and try to find the cause/s but no one knows how I  feel inwardly but it's the power of positive thinking that keeps me going."

She champions Gary for being right at her side, taking time out from his work. His employers have been very supportive to the couple.

"I couldn't have got through all this without his support," Christine says.

She is also grateful to her brother Terry Burkhardt who has been able to clarify aspects of her journey by helping to find out more about the medical stuff.

Her mother Shona Burkhardt also returned home early from a holiday overseas, when Christine fell ill, to support the couple and tend Christine's succulent plants she grows as a hobby.

She says she is prepared for the possibility of perhaps not returning to her former self.

"I can't dwell on what might happen.

"Some years ago, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis which put paid to my netball and tennis interests and I worked my life around that, so I guess I will be able to do the same again," she says.

"I am thinking ahead, you've got to plan."

Christine and Gary are both in their second marriage. Christine has three children and Gary, two.

They have 13 grandchildren between them.

Beating the Odds wishes Christine all the best for a complete recovery.

Have you had to fight back from a difficult illness or experience? We would love to tell your story or hear from you!

BTO