https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/how-little-ebony-is-beating-the-odds/3745385/
IT WAS an innocuous fall, but it triggered a daunting chain of events for a young Mackay family. In November last year, Ebony Newman fell off a chair while staying with her grandparents. While it appeared to be nothing more than a simple accident, she was unresponsive for 25 minutes. A MRI scan soon after revealed Ebony, then 18 months old, had a brain tumour. "Typically, these types of tumours are ... 'slow growing' they described it as," Ebony's mother Maree Newman said. "But hers was aggressive." As a result, Ebony has had to make frequent trips to Brisbane for check-ups and treatment with her mum, who said it had been an extremely difficult period to juggle, with the family regularly being split up. Ebony's father, Michael Newman, has had to continue working and also look after their seven-year-old son, Liam, as well as his three children from a previous marriage. "Liam, when they were away, was a bit clingy and missing Mum," Mr Newman said. "But we'd get Mum on the phone and he'd have a chat and was all good. They (the kids) are getting through it."
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https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/mackay-support-dog-discovered-strangled-in-backyar/3749302/
FOR the Barrett family, Dana was much more than a pet dog. The diminutive cavalier had been welcomed into the family as a support animal for 13-year-old James. It made her apparent disdainful death all the more harrowing for the heartbroken family. James' mum Veronica Barrett returned to her Mt Pleasant home from work last Wednesday afternoon and noticed a white Subaru parked in the neighbouring property. She noticed two Caucasian men, described as under six foot tall, slim build and wearing bucket hats, emerge from the side of the house holding something before taking off. Ms Barrett said the house next door was vacant and assumed the two men were inspecting it. She said typically Dana and the family's other dog would greet her by the veranda upon her return home. The Barrett's smallest member was nowhere to be seen. That is, until the following afternoon. https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/just-12-hours-after-he-was-born-their-boy-stopped-/3755526/
JUST 12 hours after he was born, Kenneth Harvey stopped breathing. The newborn went into respiratory distress, sending shock waves through first-time parents, Caitlyn and Brian. Since then, it has been 18 months of more questions than answers, with little Ken's illness still a mystery. Initially, doctors believed his large tonsils were the cause. But after they were removed, the breathing problems persisted. On top of that, he has regular seizures and dealing with the ongoing battle has been a daunting challenge for the young family. "It is quite confronting, and we have had huge problems," Mrs Harvey said. "I myself have struggled with post-natal depression ... because of the situation we were put in from day dot. "It was very hard, and I'm not from (Mackay originally) so I don't have the support network here which made things even harder." https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/former-cutters-inspired-reality-check/3756868/
IT TOOK a while for the reality of his friend's tragic death to set in for Jayden O'Shannessy. He was only 14, but as time went on he began to realise the devastating impact of mental illness. It became the catalyst for B-Happ-E. The business venture is a first for the now 20 year old, who is selling his own clothing brand to raise money for the Black Dog Institute. Mr O'Shannessy said the institute didn't "beat around the bush", and his experience had inspired him to help them break the stigma that men should not speak about their wellbeing. "I've had the idea for a while and it's a big part of my life. It kicked off six or seven years ago when I had a friend who committed suicide at such a young age," Mr O'Shannessy said. "It was always on my mind as I got older and older, and unfortunately Mackay has had a lot go on in that spectrum. "It's a scary thing, and I'm sure it happens everywhere, but when you're in the place itself you just want to help it out as much as you can." https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/it-really-says-life-isnt-a-game/3761934/
FATHERHOOD has allowed James Hoffman to grow a lot. The patience, the adaptability; these traits have steeled him well in his position as a care support officer at Mackay Base Hospital. Care support officers deal with patients who suffer from dementia and other cognitive impairments. At times, these patients can have challenging or violent behaviour. For Mr Hoffman, being able to focus on the patient as a person rather than a condition has made a telling impact on him. The proof is in the pudding: it has positive impacts on those suffering from dementia too. The job can be far from glamorous at times. But while it can often be confronting to see people in such distress, Mr Hoffman said the patients had helped him as much as he had them. "Seeing someone on a daily basis not be able to live their life how they want because of these communication difficulties and cognitive deficiencies is really hard,” he said. "Seeing the wives and families come in, and you're watching them go through the motions of it all is really confronting as well. "Now as a father, it does make me think if I was to ever end up in that situation what can I do now to prepare for that, and prepare my daughters and wife for that? "You definitely do have those thoughts, but the biggest thing I find from the clients is how much they inspire me. The lives they have lived and the things they have done, it really says life isn't a game.” https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/popular-mackay-restaurant-reveals-expansion-plans/3681057/
BING Guo believes every customer has a story. His desire to hear them all has inspired a second venture in Japanese cuisine. Mr Guo endeavours to create strong relationships with his passionate following at Bing's Nomiya. His personal touch has inspired the increasing demand of his delectable offerings. A second instalment is now headed for Rural View. Customers have travelled from across the region since the Japanese restaurant opened in 2015, much to Mr Guo's delight. Mr Guo said connecting deeply with people was such an important skill in the industry, and he wanted to ensure he continued building relationships with his customers. "Personal touch is important to me, and the customer too," Mr Guo said. "When people talk something always happens .... even if I have a lot of customers I try and talk to people. "That's why I stay at the door and open it for them, even a small detail like that can make people happy." https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/scholarship-winner-says-hes-stronger-after-cancer/3654105/
IN SPITE of his heartbreaking condition, Aaron Goode has never buried his head in the sand. In fact, he believes it has shaped him into the person he is today. Before his fifth birthday, MrGoode was diagnosed with medulloblastoma - a type of brain cancer - and moved from Mackay for a year to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Brisbane. He said as a child he didn't fully grasp the gravity of the situation, or the life-threatening implications of the tumour. However, he still remembers the initial fears he had, recalling one evening when he tried to leave the hospital before being caught by one of the nurses. In the years since his stay his condition has improved tremendously and he said the ordeal had made him a stronger person. https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/fitting-farewell-for-a-racing-pioneer/3678415/
REVERED as a 'loveable larrikin', Laurie Manzelmann's touching farewell captured the impact he had on the racing and Mackay communities. The first race of yesterday's meet at Mackay Turf Club honoured a man deeply embedded in Queensland's racing history. Mr Attitude, trained by Laurie's long time friend Ricky Vale, won the Laurie Manzelmann Memorial race in a canter. Watching jockey Ashley Butler in the pink and lime colours the late trainer made famous, Laurie's wife Lyn Manzelmann became quite emotional. "That, I can say, was one of the biggest highlights of my life to see those colours go around again," she said. https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/it-could-take-a-generation-to-close-the-life-expec/3665701/
DIFFICULTY securing sufficient health services for her family is one of many reasons Trudi Sebasio is determined to help close the gap on indigenous wellbeing. The Mackay Hospital and Health Service regional indigenous operations manager told a Closing the Gap forum she had been an 18-year-old mother of two young children and the experience had given her an insight into the need to take a wider approach beyond health. Ms Sebasio said it could take a whole generation to close the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous people but she was committed to the mission. She said one step toward improving indigenous outcomes had been targeting five or more antenatal visits in soon-to-be mothers. https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/would-be-spys-new-career-as-a-doctor/3626938/
THE journey into medical practice has been laid out for Kingsley Smith since he was just five years old. With an initial aspiration to emulate James Bond and become a spy, Dr Smith's childhood was peppered by frequent hospital visits after being diagnosed with Kawasaki disease - a condition that causes inflammation along the walls of blood vessels. Witnessing the care and dedication of the medical team supporting him and his family, he abandoned his ambitions for a life of stealth and secrecy to pursue the field of his new found idols. |
AuthorA selection of my general news content. My main round was health, however I frequently covered weather, crime, politics and general human interest. Archives
January 2020
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