Dream shattered but hope never dies

By NOBERT KOKE
YOU do not want to wake up in the next morning to find ourselves in total darkness, don’t you?
It can only happen to you only in horrifying dreams but not in real life but as for young Max Michael it was really heart breaking – and for many who have come to know him.
Every human being wants to fulfil whatever they do in life whether it’s in sports, arts, music, business or education.
However, if you are able to see, feel and do things like any other able human being then you may achieve your dream.
For the 30-year-old lad it was a different story, every hope and dream he has worked hard for in the last 28 years has just vanished from him.
Everything ceases to exist when he was diagnosed with a rare medical condition.
He got knocked off at about 8am on Feb 20, 2017 when he started to separate himself for everybody around him.
“I woke up and realised that my eyes went blackout in the morning. I rushed to the sink and washed my eyes for recovery of my sight but everything went black and I was out of my seeing sense,” Max said.
“I was scared of what was happening to me, it took me by surprise. I was confused and shocked so I called for help and my family rushed me to the hospital.”
Max was taken to the Mt Hagen General Hospital where Dr Waimbe Wahamu a senior ophthalmologist examined both his eyes.
The assessment revealed that Max had poor projection temporarily making him unable to see clearly.
The doctor also found out that Max was clinically and generally stable but the local ophthalmic assessment he carried out showed that Max had poor projection on his right eye. However, his left eye has a normally reactive pupil.
Despite the analysis done by the doctor, every day started to get darker and darker for Max and he started to separate himself from the real world.
As a young man with so much potential to face the future, his hopes of getting back his sight were slowly slipping away but he tried every possible means to continue the fight.
With confidence and strong determination to have his sight back Max began a journey at his home in Mt Hagen in search for a miracle.
He made his first attempt to visit an eye specialist at the Goroka Base Hospital who then referred him to the Modilon General Hospital for scanning in IVTA and laser photocoagulation therapy, however that has never helped.
He was later reviewed at Port Moresby General Hospital eye clinic with a case of Right Traumatic Retinal Detachment with various haemorrhages and commenced on parenteral steroids.
Every hospital he visited and the prescription given did not help in any way to bring back his sight and the condition continued to deteriorate until he became totally blind.
Actually it took Max less than 18 months to become totally blind and the last and only hope he had was to raise funds and seek medical treatment abroad.
It may cost Max up to K150,000 if he is to go for an eye operation overseas and for a young person who comes from a less fortunate family, it may take him a lifetime to raise such the money.
Max has his entire life ahead of him being a father, a husband, a big brother and the only hope to his family.
His son Thurston who is 10 years old now will have questions troubling him when he grew up to be a man. Once his father had the opportunity to look him in the eyes and tell him that he loved him but now it will just through feeling and touching which is something his son is too young to experience.
Max is really struggling to manage his relationship with his son who will take a while to understand him.
His dream of graduating with a Business Management degree may only become a wish for his family who have worked tirelessly to ensure Max reached that heights in his education career.
Being the only child in his family to make it to university, Max was carrying the hope and aspiration of his family, clan and tribesmen.
Originally from Koroba in Hela, Max was born and raised in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands by his father Michael Sanda, a plumber who has served the Mt Hagen City Council since the early 1970s until his retirement recently.
Max’s father Michael was one among a few individuals who happened to build the Mt Hagen sewage, water supply and waste system.
Max came into the world as a blessing to his father and mother Catherine Sanda as their third born child on Oct 24,1987 weighting over 4kg.
He was a happy and health little baby who brought joy and love to his home and grew up to be a charming, charismatic child.
Max was an inspiration to everyone around him from his childhood days being a leader in his pack in and everything he touched, whether in sports or education “was gold.”
He was enrolled into Grade one in 1995 at Hagen Tee Primary School and completed his primary education in 2003 and continued to Grade nine at Mt Hagen Secondary School.
He did not make it to university after Grade 12 but being a fighter, he went on to upgrade his marks with the University of Technology DODL programme at Mt Hagen Secondary in 2009 and 2010.
He later applied was accepted to do Business Management at the University of Papua New Guinea.
He did well in his first year and continued on into his second year but flunked two courses and was put off studies.
Max was supposed to do his third year in 2015 but because of financial constraints he was not able to return. He re-enrolled the following year but due to the student protest in 2016 he was sent home again and while at home he found out that he was colour blind and a year later became totally blind.
As Max spends every last penny in his pocket, days and months longing for a miracle to happen, he continues to draw closer to the Creator, who is the source of everything.
He believes in one thing only and that is the healing of Jesus Christ and Max has spent his time praying for divine intervention.
Nevertheless, Max is also appealing to everyone who has come to know him in Hela and Western Highlands especially Hagen Urban LLG, his school mates in high schools and UPNG, his close friends and family for donations towards his medical expenses.
He is also appealing to Hela and Western Highlands leaders to help him seek medical treatment overseas.
Anyone who wishes to make a donation can contact Desmond Ayama on 7026 6333 or Max himself on 7070 8834.

•  Norbert Koke is a freelance writer.