Selwyn Times: November 07, 2017
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
8 Wednesday <strong>November</strong> 8 <strong>2017</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
The Maddie story<br />
SELWYN TIMES<br />
Pages 8, 9 & 10<br />
Family’s long journey to give their<br />
It has been nearly nine years since West Melton<br />
teenager Maddie Collins was diagnosed with kidney<br />
disease. Bridget Rutherford reports on the battle to<br />
give the 13-year-old a better life before it is too late<br />
IT WAS a normal day at the end<br />
of October 2008 and the Collins<br />
family was preparing to go<br />
camping at Okains Bay.<br />
But five-year-old Maddie woke<br />
up that morning with puffy eyes.<br />
Her parents Sarah and Adam<br />
didn’t think anything of it.<br />
They had just moved to West<br />
Melton from Spreydon, wanting<br />
a more rural lifestyle.<br />
“We thought ‘great, we’ve just<br />
moved rural and she’s allergic to<br />
grass and hay’,” Mrs Manson-<br />
Collins said.<br />
UNWELL: Maddie Collins in<br />
hospital as a child.<br />
They took Maddie to their GP,<br />
who said she may have something<br />
called nephrotic syndrome<br />
– a kidney disease which causes<br />
the body to excrete too much<br />
protein in urine.<br />
“I just said ‘oh, don’t be silly,<br />
just give us some antihistamines,<br />
we’re going camping tomorrow’.<br />
And he said ‘I’m very serious,<br />
you need to take her to the hospital<br />
now’.”<br />
The family didn’t go camping.<br />
And they haven’t been since.<br />
Since then, the 13-year-old has<br />
undergone more than 50 operations,<br />
been on life support twice,<br />
had both kidneys removed, one<br />
failed transplant and undergoes<br />
dialysis every night.<br />
She has been in hospital more<br />
than 300 times – the longest<br />
stint was for four months – and<br />
travels to Auckland’s Starship<br />
Hospital routinely every seven or<br />
eight weeks.<br />
“I do dialysis 12 hours a night,<br />
every night,” Maddie said.<br />
“When we go away we don’t<br />
typically take the machine, so we<br />
DOG LOVER: Maddie wants to become a vet, and has already had a lot of practice looking after<br />
the family’s dogs – Jilly, Grace, Mary and Coco.<br />
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER<br />
do manual bags – four over the<br />
day. It’s annoying because you<br />
can’t have sleepovers, unless you<br />
want to do manual bags, but I’m<br />
not allowed to do it.”<br />
Maddie’s parents and a family<br />
friend are the only people who<br />
can operate her dialysis machine.<br />
They have two generators just in<br />
case there is a power cut.<br />
The first time Maddie was put<br />
on life support was six months<br />
after her diagnosis.<br />
She had been on steroids and<br />
low-dose chemotherapy drugs,<br />
then one night, she woke with a<br />
sore tummy and they took her to<br />
hospital.<br />
formulated<br />
for dogs<br />
Want the best Dog<br />
Food possible?<br />
AffordAble<br />
Summer fAmily<br />
Protection<br />
Specially formulated sunscreens<br />
for the whole family providing<br />
SPF50+ protection.<br />
free Gift<br />
WitH bAnAnA boAt PurcHASe<br />
Barrington Pharmacy Ltd | Ph 322 3156 10% discount<br />
256 Barrington St (next to Couplands) everyday using<br />
excludes prescriptions & sale stock<br />
The Automotive Lamp Specialists<br />
• Pure meat • No Chemicals • No Fillers<br />
• Dogs love Essential • Convienent chilled roll<br />
• Affordable $1 a day for a medium dog<br />
VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR<br />
STOCKISTS OR BUy OnlInE<br />
www.animalessentials.co.nz phanley@xtra.co.nz<br />
0800 HAnlEy (0800 426 539)<br />
New and Used Lamps for Cars, Trucks,<br />
Vans, 4WD and Motorhomes<br />
PH 0800 225 483 | 325 Brougham Street, CHRISTCHURCH
Change language