Plunket Society

Plunket Society http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2009/01/rotunda-at-potters-park.html

I was at St Luke's shopping mall when this Appeal stand attracted my attention. You see, I am very passionate about the Plunket Society. I am passionate about many things like the environment, cruelty to animals, raising funds for the sick from Nepal and the deaf in Kenya.

But the Plunket Society, www.plunket.org.nz it was different, for once I wasn't the giver. I was a recipient of their work.

When I was a young mum, I didn't have immediate family with me. It was hard especially when I was sick when I was pregnant with my third child. The Plunket society had volunteers and nurses in their Plunket rooms. When things were getting too difficult for me, all I had to do was to call them, and they would come to pick me and my girls D and G up. If I had a sleepless night, there was a comfortable room and bed for me to catch my nine winks and they would take care of my girls.

It was exactly twenty years ago when I used their services. I am most appreciative of the last service they rendered me. They came when I called them, and one of the ladies drove me to the doctor when they felt I was really sick. I threw up in her car, and she said it was OK. She waited for me at the doctor's. The doctor said my pregnancy wasn't too good and told me to go to the hospital. The plunket lady drove me to the hospital where I was admitted. The other ladies took care of D and G until the water engineer could come to pick them up. It was a Monday. I was discharged the next day.

Andrew was born that Friday. He died shortly after. The plunket ladies sent me a card and told me that I could always go back to their rooms. I didn't like to go back because there was always babies there and I couldn't bear to see babies. But my daughter G had bad allergies and I had to take her there to see Dr. Rowley. The nurses knew that I wasn't sleeping well, and told me to rest while they took care of Gabrielle. Then I went to Singapore and never thanked them properly.

Today, I wrote them a note. It's twenty years late. I thanked them. I have moved on and today, I use my loss to comfort bereaved mothers.

At their appeal stand was Ng MeiLing and Rachel. Meiling was very friendly as she handled my pledge form. She looks Samoan and like my student Celyn, she has Chinese parentage. We chatted and she told me she went to China in 2005 for a month. She was in the Miss Bikini Of the Universe Contest. I went back to take this photo. Meiling is on the left.