Having moved north from the Mainland five years ago, I’ve struggled a bit to find a sense of belonging living here in central Auckland, a place to put down some roots and feel a sense of home and community. However I found this recently, when my six year old daughter came a cropper in the school playground and smashed her elbow. Samantha’s always been a bit of a dare devil stuntwoman. I swear she was a monkey in a former life, so it was only really a matter of time before she pushed the boundaries too far and learned what her physical limits are. Even so, no parent likes getting a call from school saying “can you get here immediately to accompany your child in the ambulance”, and if you’re in the middle of a business meeting and you have deadlines looming that suddenly can’t be met, it all adds to the stress.
So it was a rather ragged looking mummy that turned up at school to find a very brave little girl, obviously in agony, still waiting for the ambulance to get there so she would be allowed some kind of pain relief. The staff at Ponsonby Primary School were absolutely fantastic. The Principal, Anne Malcolm, has obviously had a lot of experience with broken bones in the playground and took immediate control. She insisted we wait for the ambulance, despite them being diverted to a more serious accident on the way, resulting in a substantial time delay, which was the right call, given the nature of the break.
The office staff had thought of everything including having a $20 note ready to lend me in case I didn’t have any cash on me for the long wait ahead at the hospital. The caretaker took care of my car, and the Principal texted us several times over the weekend to check on our progress.
The ambulance guys were lovely and super apologetic about us having to wait so long. But I completely understand – life and death supersedes broken bones every time. They simply need more funding so they can be in more places at once.
The love and care continued at Starship (Children’s Hospital). Arriving via ambulance meant that we were already in the system and the process of getting Samantha dealt with was already underway. We were there overnight and well into the next day – the elbow required an operation to wire it back together – and we’ve had a couple of outpatient visits since. Every single person we’ve dealt with there has been nothing short of fabulous. The systems have worked, everything has always happened in a timely fashion, and always with exceptional levels of love and care. While no parent would ever want to spend too much time at Starship, I do feel blessed that we live in a place with this level of healthcare for our children, should it be required.
And, finally, I now feel a sense of community, caring and belonging in our life here in Auckland. To the Ponsonby Primary School Principal and staff, St Johns Ambulance, Starship Hospital and my dear friend Michele who was there when they put my little girl to sleep, and waited with me til she woke up – a big warm thank you!
By Jacqui Thomas
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