Teen’s plight leads to a gift to Starship

GIVING A BOOST: Becky Stanley and Tyler Pomeroy (WHS student) with Wanganui Finance’s Jackie Dowman and Barb Turner.
PHOTO / Lin Ferguson

A Wanganui teen who was urgently flown to Auckland’s Starship hospital for liver surgery last year has been taken to heart by local company Wanganui Finance.

Manager Barb Turner and her assistant Jackie Dowman ensured that their annual charity donation went to Starship last year.

They gave $1500 to the Starship Foundation.

Barb said their decision was made after hearing the story of 14-year-old Tyler Pomeroy, youngest son of client Becky Stanley.

Last year Tyler’s health had started declining rapidly with a huge weight loss, nausea, lack of appetite and fever.

At first Wanganui doctors were perplexed and worried.

His mum Becky Stanley said that it wasn’t until they saw the results of the scan they knew what was wrong.

“Tyler was diagnosed with a liver abscess which they said was very rare and they even thought it was the first ever in New Zealand.”

Even though they were flown to Auckland and were staying in Ronald MacDonald House there was still a cost to the family, she said.

“That’s why it’s so wonderful that people donate to Starship.”

Becky will never forget arriving at Starship for Tyler’s’s surgery and the sudden panic.

Tyler didn’t have enough blood for the surgery to go ahead, she said. “He’d lost so much weight and blood. He had to be transfused immediately which held the urgent surgery up by two hours.”

Becky said after surgery she and Tyler had to stay on in Ronald Macdonald House until he was cleared to go home.

“Everyone was was so good to us. We’ll never forget it. And Tyler is making great progress.”

Barb said that Wanganui Finance not only worked with mostly local people, it cared about the community and an annual donation was always made to a charity that helped the community.

By Lin Ferguson
Wanganui Midweek 18/4/18