04 July, 2012
Mater lottery’s NSW partner, Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation, raises funds to ensure patients receive the best possible care. Thanks to the generous contribution of Prize Home NSW lottery supporters, Melissa received specialist care.
At almost thirty years of age, Melissa was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder commonly known as Lupus.
Melissa’s local doctor in Coffs Harbour looked at her fingers and asked if she had recently injured them. He then took a biopsy and diagnosed Melissa with Raynauds disease, which is a narrowing of the small blood vessels often associated with Lupus.
Melissa’s doctor arranged for Melissa and her mother Gail to fly to the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney to receive specialist care, with the initial plan that she would stay for one or two nights. Melissa ended up staying in hospital for two weeks. Her treatment included surgery to correct the circulation in her hand.
Melissa and her mother say that the care they received from the nurses, doctors and other health care professionals at Prince of Wales Hospital was fantastic, though they were happy to go home.
Your ongoing support of NSW lotteries, like Mater Prize Home art union, help patients get the best possible care, and you could win a home – what a bonus!