LETTER: Thanks to postcode lottery players

I am a local accident and emergency doctor working for the NHS, a job I've been doing for the past 10 years. '¨However, in autumn last year, I decided it was time to give back to the community and embarked upon a six-month mission with the charity MÃ©decins Sans FrontiÃ¨res/Doctors Without Borders.'¨I worked in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, in a MÃ©decins Sans FrontiÃ¨res hospital, treating Syrian patients who had suffered horrific and life-changing injuries caused by the ongoing conflict in the country.

I write to you today to congratulate the winners of the People’s Postcode Lottery in Mansfield, who have won this month’s Postcode Millions jackpot.

And to say a big thank you for the fantastic support for MSF from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.  I have seen firsthand just how valuable these funds are. Our charity can only survive to bring medical aid to the world’s most desperate people with financial support.

I wanted to share the story of one patient who has always stayed with me, to show you exactly where your support goes. I first met three-year-old Bana after she arrived at the hospital having been injured by a barrel bomb with her father. Bana had a severe head injury and required critical care at a specialist hospital an hour away.  When she first arrived, we didn’t think she’d pull through.  She spent a month on a breathing machine.

By some miracle, Bana survived and she was then referred to us in Zaatari for rehabilitation.

Sadly, Bana’s injuries were life-changing.  But we nursed her around the clock for the months that followed.

We were feeding her through a tube in her stomach and providing daily medications to prevent seizures.  Eventually, Bana improved enough to be discharged and it was time for her to go home.

Sometimes, I have to steal myself from the horrors of the work, in order to do my job properly.  I do think about what the future holds for little Bana and her family.  But I will never forget the feeling of reuniting Bana with her mother.

I want to say a sincere, heartfelt thank you for your on-going contributions and much appreciated support.  My grateful thanks.

Caroline Bwango

By email