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 Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders.'¨I worked in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, in a Médecins Sans Frontières 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