22 August 2012

The Worst 2 Weeks of My Life: Perth WA

Our darling 3 year old granddaughter Orlena is still critically ill in Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth. She has been in a coma for the past 2 weeks, since 7th August. She had a fall, investigations still happening on this because the little angel can't tell us what happened. For legal reasons, no more to be said here!

Orlena's sad mum and dad and family have been keeping a vigil by her in ICU at the hospital. The doctors and nurses at PMH are so wonderful….it is medical science that has kept Orlena alive so far, and the staff are so kind and helpful to us as family. Not only are they doing everything they can to save lives, they are taking the role of family counsellors and communicators. We have been told Orlena's future is grim but not to give up hope. Orlena looks like a beautiful little doll on the intensive care bed and it has been the worst 2 weeks of my life to see what has been happening with her. Both sides of her family have been brought together at this very hard time. Her parents have been separated since before her birth, but both have been sharing access with her. I am so glad that Dave and I have been able to get to know our little girl since she was born, and getting to know her has been a lovely experience…which makes it so much harder now we see what she is going through, I guess. If you have grandchildren, get to know them while you can!

Dave flew home a day after me, after organising the storage of our motorcycles and trailer in Townsville, Qld. We will decide what to do next when we have more idea of Orlena's future. We have been told if she "wakes up" she will need long-term medical care at PMH for several months, and if this is the case, we will fly back to Townsville and ride our bikes back home while her devoted parents oversee what her treatment is to be.

It's times like this that I realise how quickly your life can change, and how much sadness there is in some people's lives. We are seeing other families dealing with the serious illness of their children in PMH, some with unexpected accidents and some with congenital problems they have been born with that are being corrected with surgery. When I'm out and about in public it seems so trite to hear some people complaining about trivial things, when I've just left a sad place where parents are dealing with grief.

The children in PMH and the doctors and nurses caring for them deserve medals. Orlena's name means "golden" and she is our little golden girl.