While many of us were thinking it was hard getting through the COVID lockdown, a 14-year-old Parkes boy has been fighting for his life in a hospital in Sydney.

Gage Kirk, a Parkes High School student, received a devastating diagnosis on 14th April last year, a week after his 13th birthday. He had Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancer that most often occurs in and around the bones, but it had also spread to Gage’s soft tissue and lungs.

Gage’s family were all in shock at the news, and it turned their life upside down. He was moved far away from home at the Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney where he received treatment of doses of intense chemotherapy and radiation for over 12 months.

In May this year Gage received yet another diagnosis, but this time it was the news everyone was wanting to hear. He was given the all-clear, there was not a sign of any cancer in his body. Gage’s family and friends were so relieved and elated that he was cancer-free and able to return home to Parkes.

Gage was home for nearly three months when he started to experience severe pain in his knee. His specialist referred him to the paediatrician in Orange where he had an MRI. A week later, on 12th July, he was sent back to the Westmead Children’s Hospital where Gage’s specialist confirmed a relapse. The cancer was back. They did further scans and found that it had returned in his knee, spine, pubic bone and lungs.

The pressure on Gage’s mum Sarah is immense running two households. While she is in Sydney supporting Gage through his treatment, she also has to ensure her two younger children Rebekah and Declan are being looked after by grandparents in Parkes.

A Go Fund Me page was started to support Gage to help fund consultations with some of the world’s leading researchers and specialists to find trials that will give Gage a chance to survive, and to help Gage’s mum.

“I am struggling to keep two households running with limited income. Please help us get through this horrific time away from home and support us in raising the funds to have a consultation with a doctor we believe will give my son a chance to survive,” said Sarah on the fundraising page.

The time spent away from home for treatment means Gage has missed nearly two years of school, and being five hours away from Parkes he is unable to socialise with any of his friends and family.

This is a call on the Parkes community to help raise Gage’s spirits by getting behind him in support. Whether you start a small fundraiser at your workplace or school, pass the hat around with your mates, or donate directly on the Go Fund Me page, every little bit will make a difference.

Gage’s family would like to thank all their friends and the Parkes community for their support so far.

This is the link to the Go Fund Me page www.gofundme.com/f/14-year-old-gage-is-facing-cancer-again?member=125412 99&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

Parkes is one of seven local government areas in the NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) with first dose rates for COV-ID-19 vaccinations of over 80%, while the Central West is ahead of the whole country with its vaccination rates.

Four weeks ago in the week ending 8th August Parkes had a first dose percentage of 36 and second dose of 14.3%. On 9th September the figures for Parkes were 81.9% for first dose and 34.3% for second dose.

Overall vaccination rates in the WNSWL-HD are among the most-improved in NSW across the last four weeks. Scott McLachlan, WNSWLHD Chief Executive, said he would love to see the district reach the highest vaccination rate in all of Australia.

“I’m really proud of our communities. They’ve heard the message that vaccination is the best way to tackle COVID-19 and they’ve stepped up.

“We’ve seen the first-dose rate of COVID-19 vaccinations go from 17% to 56% for Aboriginal people and from 41% to 82% for non-Aboriginal people.

“The second-dose rate for Aboriginal people has gone from around 7% to almost 22%, and from 20% to more than 41% for non-Aboriginal people.

The seven local government areas in the district with first dose rates over 80% are Weddin, Orange, Dubbo, Coonamble, Narromine, Mid-Western and Parkes.

Coonamble has the highest second-dose rate at almost 50%. Orange, Weddin, Gilgandra, Walgett, Brewarrina, Cowra, Lachlan, Bourke and Forbes are all above 40%.

“I can’t stress this enough though – we can’t afford to think we’ve done enough.” Scott said 80% double dose meant there would still be 40,000 people unvaccinated and very vulnerable to the virus.

“Keep encouraging people to get vaccinated and make sure you come back for your second dose, it’s only after both doses that you get the maximum protection.

“Still get tested if you have any symptoms or concerns. Keep following the stay-at-home orders, practice good hand hygiene and social distancing and use the available QR codes.”

Stay-at-home orders for adults who have received both doses will be lifted from the Monday after NSW passes the 70% double vaccination target, expected to be reached in four to five weeks.

“Look out for your family and friends, check in with them and see how they’re doing and, most importantly, reach out for help when you need it.”

NSW Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor joined the Chief Psychiatrist Dr Murray Wright and Chairman of Lifeline Australia John Brogden in calling on the community to be aware of their own mental health, as well as that of their family and loved ones while the COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.

“This can be an incredibly stressful time for families, parents and children,” said the minister.

“There are services available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone in crisis can reach out at any time to get the help they need.”

Dr Murray Wright said the message of hope is extremely important during this challenging time. “It’s a message that’s been lost in much of the recent coverage, but we need to reassure ourselves that the current situation is temporary. It will end, especially as our vaccination coverage increases.

With Lifeline taking a record numbers of calls, John Brogden said it was more important than ever for people to continue to reach out for help when they need it.

“Just as we’re all doing our bit to protect everyone’s physical health, it is critical we also look after our mental health.”

If life is in danger, dial 000 (Triple Zero) immediately. For crisis support, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For mental health advice, call Beyond Blue on 1800 512 348.

To connect with specialist mental health services, call the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.

With the worsening COVID situation and rise in case numbers, Parkes Shire Mayor has called on the community to keep on supporting each other and doing the right thing.

“We are lucky to have such a wonderful community who has banded together during such a difficult and concerning time,” said Mayor Ken Keith. “We need to continue supporting each other and doing our part by staying home and getting vaccinated. You can book your vaccination by visiting the NSW Health Eligibility Checker or contacting your local GP or pharmacy. We are all in this together – stay home and stay safe.”

Ken thanked all the amazing frontline workers who have been working tirelessly to keep our community safe. “You have all played a huge role during such difficult times.

“I would also like to thank the following businesses who have allocated resources to support the testing clinic and the vaccination clinic: Transport for NSW, CMOC Northparkes Mines, Services NSW, Fulton Hogan and Parkes Shire Council.”

The Mayor also thanked the volunteers who gave up their time last week to lend a helping hand at the testing clinic.

As the case numbers were up to 10 in Parkes by Wednesday, the Mayor said it was extremely important to remain vigilant and to keep informed on the locations of concern, which were regularly updated on the NSW Health website and Council’s Facebook page.

“If you have been to any of the locations of concern, please get tested immediately and self-isolate until you get a negative result. The community is urged to get tested if they have any symptoms at all, no matter how mild.

Council is aware that testing results are taking a few days to come back, but we need everyone to get tested. Thank you to those community members who have presented for testing already.”

The pop-up testing clinic will continue to operate from 10am – 3pm at the Parkes Showground.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) hosted a pop-up vaccination clinic in Tullamore on Monday. The clinic took place after a resident contacted local member Phil Donato who notified the Western NSW Local Health District of the need. Tullamore responded with 120 residents presenting for vaccination.

Due to distance from other centres this service allowed older residents, parents with small children as well as essential workers who don’t have time to travel to be vaccinated. School children were also able to be vaccinated. The community thanks Phil Donato, WNSWLHD and the wonderful staff from RFDS for ensuring Tullamore is safe and well.

Member for Orange Philip Donato MP has scolded the NSW Government for allowing the closure of NSW Health’s BreastScreen service across the State to redeploy their staff for COVID-19 related duties.

“The incidence of breast cancer among women in our community doesn’t cease, so neither should BreastScreen NSW, which is the primary scanning service for early detection,” Phil said.

Breastscreen NSW announced on its website last week that the decision was made to temporarily suspend all routine breast screening services in NSW.

“This is a reckless move that may eventually have grave consequences for a loved mother, daughter, niece or sister we love.

“COVID poses no more risk to staff and patients than that of customers and staff who still go to Bunnings for hardware sup-plies, which is presently allowable in our current restrictions.

“Cancer has no conscience, it isn’t considerate, it has no concept of time – it’s in-discriminate and will continue to harmfully grow if it isn’t detected early enough for medical intervention. One in seven women will develop breast cancer, odds which de-mand an uninterrupted screening service to save that one woman in seven from an avoidable premature death.”

Phil said he had written to the NSW Health Minister requesting him to immediately reverse this decision.

Cancer Council NSW has added its voice to the importance of achieving optimal COVID-19 vaccine coverage to help reduce the risks of long-term COVID-19 impacts on cancer outcomes.

“The evidence is clear that optimal vaccine coverage is key to controlling COVID-19 in NSW,” said Director of Cancer Prevention and Advocacy, Anita Dessaix. “Evidence is also strengthening that COVID-19 poses a threat to cancer outcomes. During the 2020 lockdown, we saw disruptions to cancer screening services and program participation which is aimed at detecting cancer earlier. We know COVID-19 is especially harmful if contracted by individuals undergoing cancer treatment.

“The evidence is clear that vaccines work and that accelerating the control of COVID-19 will support our focus on controlling cancer, which remains the leading cause of premature death in the state.

“Vaccines are among the most successful public health measures in history in relation to disease control and increasing human life expectancy,” she said.

Those impacted by cancer can call Cancer Council’s 13 11 20 Information and Support line or visit cancercouncil.com.au.

If you are a glasses wearer in 2021 you will be all too familiar with the problem of fogging and masks. The hot air from your breath travels up under the mask forming tiny beads of water on the surface of your lenses making them impossible to see through. Thankfully there are some excellent products that can be applied to the lenses to stop the fog.

But did you know that masks are also causing a significant increase in dry eye? There is even an acronym, MADE – Mask Associated Dry Eye.

MADE is due to the same air flow that causes fogging. The air from our breath travels upward under our mask and across the eye’s surface. This causes the tears to evaporate resulting in gritty, watery, itchy, red and sore eyes.

So, what can we do about it?
The best way to reduce MADE is to ensure your mask is fitting well. A good seal to stop the air escaping up toward your eyes will go a long way to alleviating dry eyes.

Masks with a wire insert are excellent as you can mould the wire to follow the contour of your face. Some people even resort to using tape or a folded tissue to improve the seal. Try also to avoid air-conditioning and take frequent breaks when using screens.

If you are still experiencing dry eyes there are a number of drops and treatments available to provide immediate relief and promote a healthy, robust tear film.

Remember, MADE is not an excuse to avoid wearing a mask. Mask wearing, even when contending with dry eye, is a critical part of overcoming this pandemic. Come and see us at Hansen Eyecare Plus for the latest in dry eye prevention and treatment.