Desperate Epping mother left in limbo by the medical system, uses social media to help save her daughter’s life
Announcement posted by ineedaspecialist.com.au 29 May 2014
Epping resident Melissa Flentjar was left panicked and distraught when her 3 year old daughter Amelia, suffered a sever anaphylactic shock caused by an unknown substance and was rushed to a local hospital by ambulance.
"It was terrifying to see our little girl so sick and we felt completely helpless," said Melissa.
However, after her daughter was stabilised in hospital, the Epping mother was dealt another frightening blow when told that she would need to wait 6 months for a specialist appointment to learn what had caused the reaction that almost claimed her daughter's life.
"After leaving hospital, we had no idea what had caused the reaction and no idea what we needed to protect our 3 year old from so that this would never happen again," explained Melissa. "It was a mother's worst nightmare not knowing how I could protect my child from a potentially deadly experience. We didn't know what the substance was or if it could potentially kill our child, so for us, 6 months was an impossibly long time to wait for answers," Melissa added.
The ABS reveals:
- 6 million Australians each year need to seek specialist medical appointments
- 21% of people felt they waited longer than was acceptable to see a medical specialist
- 43% of Australians waiting for a specialist appointment considered their health to be poor or only fair
After conducting her own unsuccessful search for a specialist that could help, the Epping mother was left with little choice but to wait the daunting 6 months for further testing and diagnosis. As a final attempt to try and get her daughter the help she needed, Melissa made an emotional plea on a local social media network.
Thankfully for Melissa and her daughter, a staff member from ineedaspecialist.com.au saw Melissa's plea and offered assistance.
"The truth is, patients don't have to wait to get help, but they often don't know where else to go, and think they need to follow the referral they have been given by their GP" explains Darren Lemin, Founder and CEO of the ground breaking new service, ineedaspecialist.com.au
"Parents just like Melissa are able to ease their minds and get their children the help they need by accessing specialists immediately through our innovative portal - a place where patients can link directly with specialists who are ready, willing and more than able to provide excellent quality healthcare in the shortest time frame possible," explains Darren.
"I couldn't believe how quickly they organised the appointment for us," Melissa said. "They had the appointment booked and Amelia got the help she needed within 10 days. 10 days compared to 6 months? What parent wouldn't be happy with that? There is no doubt in my mind that they helped save my daughter's life."
For further information on how parents and patients can avoid the unnecessary wait and connect with healthcare specialists faster, contact Sheridyn Morgan - phone 0439 102 292 or visit www.ineedaspecialist.com.au.