Teen’s Christmas brightened with new wheelchair, gifts

The National Main Stories

A 15-YEAR-old boy from Wagang village in the Ahi local level government area of Lae, Morobe, has all that he wants for Christmas.
Thanks to the kind-hearted who after identifying Clive Kopoi as a person with disability, bought him a wheelchair.
The wheelchair and other gift were presented to him at Mavera Lodge in Lae yesterday.
Clive’s father Jerry Kopoi, when thanking Delvine Nicholas for stepping in to buy his son’s wheelchair and other gifts, said the wheelchair meant a lot to his son and the family this Christmas.
“My wife and I tried every possible means to get our child to be healed but it was all in vain, even visiting hospital every time,” Kopoi said.
He said they took Clive to the hospital and got his X-ray but they did not show any sign of what really affected him that caused his legs not to support him anymore.
“The X-ray pictures that we got, it was blank and the doctors told me that your child is well,” he said.
He said the doctors told him to do a lot of exercises.
Kopoi said Clive was at elementary school in 2004 when he encountered the problem.
He hasn’t been able to walk since.
“As he grew over the years, he put on weight,” Kopoi said.
“And I felt there was no hope but leave it to our God the Father Almighty.
“We were then asked to get the child to school but we can’t as we could not afford transportation.”
Clive’s mother Edlyne shed tears of joy and thanked the Nicholas family for their generous gifts.
Delvine Nicholas said she was touched as she was also once in the wheelchair in 2002.

3 comments

  • There is something wrong with the child’s muscle from the way it looks. There appears to be predominant waiting in the lower leg muscles with preservation of thigh muscles on his right leg giving an impression of “Champagn Bottle Neck Appearance” a clinical pathognomonic presentation of a congenital disorder that affects the nerve supply to the peripheral muscles causing muscle weakness and loss of sensation in a stocking and gloving distribution.

    Am not surprise by the PNG doctor not able to pick up this diagnosis and make appropriate referrals and or recommendations for rehabilitation and give the family correct information and settle their worries.

    Such ambiguous recommendations for “More Exercise” shows the doctors ineptitude.

    Sad for our country where doctors find it hard to continue to invest in their own lifelong learning. Unfortunately patients like this and more are on the receiving hand for half baked doctors

  • Thank you Delvine and family God will richly bless you and your children for your kindness. We have many people like Delvine and her family that continues to support the unfortunate children and families.

    The doctor need to be investigated. Providing no medical explanation questions how did the doctor got passed through stringent medical training programs each student doctors go through. It’s a shame the doctor didn’t seek further advice from other doctors. OUR people trust the doctors their advice is critical to the young health, growth and education.

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