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| Pamela and her mother being taken through how to use the log book, others |
When the Diabetes Youth Care, a non-governmental
organisation which caters for children with diabetes, visited little Pamela
Wayor at Osu, in the Greater Accra region, she met us wearing a broad infectious
smile.
The Diabetes Youth Care
had read a feature I wrote about the plight of the 13 year old girl and with
the swiftness of a duiker, they contacted to offer an assistance.
“Hello, my name is Dr.
Nana Ama Barnes, I came across your article on the news and I wanted to know if
I could help out. I have a diabetes support network for young ones living with
diabetes. We can help her out,” read an email I received.
That email conversation
would later on lead us to the house of the Wayors on that sunny Sunday, May 21,
2017. Pamela, today, wears a straight dress. Her permed hair is carefully
combed backwards to tie it behind her. But, her somewhat swollen feet would not
allow her dazzle in any ‘fashionable’ shoe as she rather wears a bathroom
slippers.
Pamela sees me entering
her compound and, like the cassava leaf, she stretched her arm with her palm widely
opened for a warm handshake.
“Hey Pamela, how you
today?” I asked.
“I’m fine and you, too?”
She said.
After a short
familiarization between my guests from the Diabetes Youth Care and the Wayors, the
President of the NGO, Joseph Kwamena Larsh, would tell the family the reason
for the visit.
“Diabetes Youth Care saw
the story of our young girl which caught our attention. We decided to do a
follow up and trace up so to provide all the necessary support our young girl
would need,” said Larsh.
Mr. Larsh who is
himself a diabetic assures the family that their ward would be fine in a very
short while.
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| President of DYC, Joseph Larsh, presenting donation to Esther Wayor |
“Pamela in this case is
a student and she is very young living with diabetes. We are going to provide
her with a lot of education which she might not know as at now. We organise monthly
meetings for them [children living with diabetes] educating them on living
healthy as diabetic patients.”
He added that “you are
going to see a big difference she joining us.”
For Esther Wayor, she
counts herself blessed as one of the happiest persons to have enjoyed the
benevolence of society.
“I am very happy and I
thank Diabetes Youth Care for coming to my aid. A lot of people have assisted
me after the story of Pamela was published,” said the mother seeking cure for
her daughter.
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| Founder of DYC,, Dr. Nana Ama Barnes, takes selfie with Pamela and her friend |
Indeed, few hours after
the article detailing Pamela’s plight was published on 3news.com, on May 18, 2017 and titled “Life on hold! Girl, 13,
battles diabetes,” I received a number of emails and messages on Twitter. These
all pointed to one thing; how to support the little girl.
Richmond Apore is a
Ghanaian based in the United States studying to become a medical doctor. In his
email sent to me, he said “I came across your story on the plight of Pamela
Wayor. And [I] was wondering how I could be of timely assistance in
contributing funds for the purchase of the girl’s basic needs.”
The next day Mr. Apore
sent via Western Union $200 to be given to Pamela. What impresses me in this
assistance is that a student seeing it needful to donate in saving life.
Pamela on the visit of
the Diabetes Youth Care was taught how to inject herself with insulin. With guidance
from the founder of the NGO, Dr. Nana Ama Barnes, the girl was taken through
the self-injection education. Pamela learnt that with ease.
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| Pamela injects herself with insulin after being taught |
Esther Wayor is poised
to see improvement in her daughter and so she pledges not to discard ways to
properly feed her. “I will take good care of Pamela’s diet because diabetes is
a dangerous disease. I have really suffered seeking medical care for her.”
Dr. Nana Ama Barnes
says she has arranged for a dietician to assist Esther Wayor provide the girl
with good care.
Renowned author, Mark
Twain, was not far from right when he opined that kindness is a language that
the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
For those who
contributed to Pamela’s well-being but would not want to be named, the family
of the little girl says ‘thanks.’ And for those who wished assisting in anyway
but could not, may God increase your yields to be of help some other time.
The writer is a broadcast
journalist with 3FM 92.7. Views expressed here solely remain his opinion and
not that of his organisation.
Email: nehusthan4@yahoo.com
Twitter: @Aniwaba
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