| BY
VALERIE JONES Christmas
has come early for special little Southport girl thanks to a group of generous
Gold Coast business people who have played Santa. The
Christmas present they have delivered to five year old Patricia Hoogsteyns is
a free $12,000 heated swimming pool…and it will change here life. Patricia,
who was born four months prematurely, weighing only 610 grams and measuring just
30 cm in length has cerebral palsy and also suffers uncontrollable, life-threatening
seizures. She
is unable to talk, has to be fed through a stomach tube and may never walk. Because
of her immobility, water therapy is vital to Patricia's health, helping her to
breather, keeping her joints mobile, strengthening her bones and preventing her
muscles from wasting. As
they watched their daughter take her first dip in the new pool on Monday, her
arms splashing excitedly as she revelled in the freedom the water gave her, Patricia's
parents Cheryl and Patrick could hardly hold back their tears. Cheryl
described the way the pool had materialised in the front garden of their modest
Lind Avenue home as nothing short of a miracle. It
all began when they phoned Gold Coast Family Pools owner Martin Torrance to see
how much it would cost to put a small fibreglass pool in the house they had just
bought. They
hadn't moved in yet and with Patricia in their arms they met Martin outside the
house to explain their requirements. | And
meeting Patricia was all that was needed for Martin to decide he wanted to help
this family. As
the father of four children, one, Amelia, the same age as Patricia, he was touched
by the tough 24-hours a day job her parents has with coping with her severe disabilities. He
got straight on the phone and within a couple of days he was able to give them
the news they would have the pool they so desperately needs…and it wouldn't
cost them a cent. Martin, who has been building pools for 15 years, the last five
in his own business, decided to call in some favours. He
had already been offered a free pool shell by Flamingo Pools, a prototype they
anted to monitor over a three year period. Instead
of selling it at a discount as he'd intended, Martin decided to give it to the
Hoogsteyns. He
then asked other suppliers and contractors he had used over the yeas for help
and found them as keen as he was to give Patricia a special Christmas present. "We
couldn't believe it when Martin told me," said Cheryl "We
had only met him for 10 minutes and all we'd said was we needed it for Patricia's
therapy and explained that using a public pool is too risky because of the feeding
tube she has in her stomach. "Patricia
is our only child and I am unable to have any more. She's very precious to us
and we'd do anything for her," she said. | "But
we have never asked for help or played on her disabilities or asked to be treated
differently."
Martin said simply that he'd done it for Patricia."I
had always thought if I was in a position to be able to help someone then I would.
I've probably got more out of doing this than I've put in," he said. Martin
said he had been helped by Taylors Excavations, Nucrush Oxenford Quarries, Water
Co Pumps, Gaven Electrical, Clearwater Salt Chlorinators, Autumn Solar, PGH Pavers
Carrara and Oxenford Paving and Soils which had all given their goods and services
free of charge.
He
said that thanks to the intervention of Cr Dawn Crichlow,
the Gold Coast City Council had even waived its building fees
for the pool.
As
he watched Patricia in the pool for the first time he said he knew the expression
on the little girl's face would be reward enough for him and the rest of his Santa
team.
A
gift from the heart...
little Patricia Hoogsteyn enjoys her new pool with
her mum, Cheryl, while good samaritan builder Martin Torrance and dad, Patrick,
look on
Article
as taken from the
GOLD
COAST SUN
Wednesday, December 8, 1999
|
