It is more satisfying to give

By MAUREEN GERAWA*

An Australian nurse Susan Dun gives Wendy Done, originally from Popondetta in Northern Province, a bear hug and they both laugh, oblivious to others around them.This is at Ward 7, which adjoins the Intensive Care Unit of the Port Moresby General Hospital where these two nurses met five years ago when Mrs Dun came for the first time to participate in the annual Operation Open Heart program.Since then, Ms Dun has been coming every year for OOH, paying her own way as well as bringing gifts for the patients in these wards as well as for Ms Done and other nurses.

Lets give out of our abundance

“I bring school books to give to the children here and also buy things for the nurses - gifts to help them in their work. I also bring wool for mothers to make their bilums (string bags) with,’’ said Mrs Dun. As a mother of four and with a husband who is working for the Shoalhaven local level government in New South Wales, this is a real sacrifice as he has to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the family together while Mrs Dun is away in PNG.

But the family sees it another way. Every year, she says her children and husband Peter look forward to hearing more stories about how Mrs Dun and the rest of OOH team saved lives of Papua New Guineans who could not otherwise be able to afford these operations in Australia.“It’s very important that we come because we live in a very rich country and if this can be a small part of my contribution to help to save one life that is very important to me,’’ she said.

The power of giving is a replica of what God first gave us - his son Jesus Christ

In order to return to PNG every year, she has to save some of her salary for her airfares as well as fundraisers to buy the little gifts which she brings with her.As an intensive care nurse, she says, she is glad to be imparting some of the special nursing skills to Papua New Guinea nurses at PMGH who, she says are doing well with the resources they have.She said the program had progressed well. The local doctors and nurses had acquired a lot of skills which was benefiting all patients. “They learn some skills from us which are beneficial to all patients,’’ she said.

“For me personally, it is a very humbling experience, and it is an important part of a human being to be able to offer kindness and to let the people of (Papua) New Guinea know that we care very much for both children and adults in the OOH program, that is the reason that has kept me coming for the past five years,’’ she said.She also says she has found that giving is more satisfying than receiving and she hopes to one day return to work in some community in PNG as a health educationist.

The more we give, the more we receive, thus establishing more networking of friends

She wears a gold chain with a PNG flag which she bought in Port Moresby two years ago to tell others, even in Australia, how close PNG is to her heart. Her friend and PMGH’s intensive care unit nurse Ms Done said she always looked forward to seeing the Australian medical team return.

“I am always glad to see Sue and her team come because we learn a lot from them. We are also glad to see them return because they come to save lives of people who could not afford these operations,’’ he said.

Garawa is the reporter of the Post Courier*


*** Giving time, efforts, resources, and money, etc... toward a worthy cause is a noble thing to do. I wish those who have more spend sometime to think and share the wealth with the disfranchised and the marginalized. By doing so, we can and gradually close the gaps between the rich and the poor.

I commend the wantoks down under for your tireless efforts in helping Papua New Guineans living their lives and fulfilling their dreams. Your works will be cherished by many around the country for helping the venerable. With the bombardment of not so good news this past weeks and months, we finally have one and we need more of such good news from all around the country - Helping wantoks by giving to the needy.

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