Donor repays kindness shown to her mother
Saturday, April 26, 2003
hongkong.scmp.com
NIKI LAW
A private donor yesterday pledged $25,000 to Project Shield as a way of thanking the medical workers who meticulously cared for her mother during a hospital stay 18 months ago.
The woman, whose mother was treated at Prince of Wales Hospital, even offered to help man the phone lines at weekends to take further donations to the South China Morning Post's fundraising drive.
"These people are risking their lives, but there are no suits to protect them. That is unforgivable. I want to tell them that I am willing to do anything in my power to help. All they have to do is ask," said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous.
"I know that many workers can't go home. All they can do is watch their children from afar or talk to their spouses on the phone. I am not a psychiatrist but, if possible, I want to offer moral support to their families too. I know they are worried to death about their husbands, wives, sons and daughters," she said.
The donor said her mother had kneecap replacement surgery at the Prince of Wales Hospital 1-1/2years ago. The dedication and professionalism shown by hospital staff inspired her to make a donation.
She recalled that the hospital was already understaffed during her mother's stay and said she did not dare imagine how bad things would have become after the Sars outbreak.
"The morning my mother left hospital her doctor called her at 7am. He told her that he had to perform surgery at 8am so he had to call her beforehand to make sure she knew how to take care of herself. I could not believe what a good doctor he was," she said.
"During my mother's stay at the hospital I saw how incredibly busy the nurses were, so I offered to change my mum's bed sheets. But they were so embarrassed because they felt they were not doing enough for the patients. This is my chance to tell them how much I admire and respect them."
She said instead of dwelling on whether the government was doing enough to stem the Sars outbreak, people should offer immediate help to the medical workers. Friends of doctors and nurses are also working to raise funds for Project Shield. The Hong Kong Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry, which represents 51 companies, donated $18,600.
"We are friends with many of the workers, but since the Sars outbreak we have barely seen each other. We tried calling them to express our support and to see if they were okay, but we also did not want to disturb them,'' said Robert Siu Shu-yok, executive director of the association.
However, most of yesterday's donors were not friends of health workers or former patients, but people who wanted to help frontline staff.
Financial analyst Terence Law said he wanted to do something to help the fight against Sars. "I wanted to make a donation for a long time, but I didn't know where to do it. I want to help more but I don't have time. So I chose the most simple and direct way," he said. |
