Life Begins At.....
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/40177
RETIRED BUT NOT RETIRING While many people enjoy the prospect of more time for rest and relaxation when they retire, some people prefer to work in their professions a little longer, the occupation that they have enjoyed for so many years. For two Victorian retirees, Doctor Trevor Smith and his wife, Heather, continuing on in their jobs as volunteers enables them to continue their passion – working to restore dignity to the lives of people affected by leprosy. Dr Smith, a general surgeon and Mrs Smith have devoted their lives to caring for people affected by leprosy, working to provide physical healing and rehabilitating them back into their communities. They have worked at McKean Rehabilitation Hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand for 40 years, where they were fi eldworkers with The Leprosy Mission Australia (TLMA). Despite offi cially retiring from TLMA in 2009, the Aussie couple feel it is "not time to move on" and are still working at McKean as volunteers. Dr Smith, now 70, still works in clinics and hospitals. Mrs Smith, 66, is involved in rehabilitation and promoting sustainable livelihoods, as well as service provision for disadvantaged and marginalised people. "Chang Mai is home to us," Dr Smith said during a visit to Australia. "It is where we have lived for the past 40 years and all our friends are there. "It will be pretty hard for us to return to Australia and start from scratch. I can still do medical work here in Thailand and continue working with the hospital team.'' The Smiths do occasionally take time out for a holiday, back to Australia to visit their family and friends in Melbourne and give talks to community groups about leprosy work in Thailand. But most of their time is committed to working at McKean Hospital. Dr Smith said their work at McKean was still needed as the hospital was still fi nding new patients with leprosy who failed to fi nd the correct diagnosis and treatment elsewhere. "These days it is diffi cult to fi nd expertise in leprosy in many countries,'' Dr Smith said. "Successes in leprosy control programs in the 1980s and 1990s led to a decrease in numbers of new cases so the Ministry of Health no longer gave importance to training medical students in leprosy. "Leprosy, disability and aged care are also not popular options for young doctors. In Thailand, western volunteers are not an option since they do not have the local language, Thai medical licence or leprosy experience. So, the leprosy challenge is not over and McKean Hospital has requested our ongoing help.'' The couple fi rst began working at McKean Hospital in 1969 but it was in 1975, that Dr Smith became the medical superintendent, involved in treating leprosy and general patients and performing corrective and reconstructive surgery. At that time, many leprosy patients were rejected by their families and communities and were living in leprosy colonies or in isolation in terrible conditions. New patients had been hiding their condition away because of the stigma. In the early days, Heather started teaching child patients in open sided school rooms shared with nesting chickens, pet dogs and a goose. She led a large children's education and family development program for many years, then later moved into developing training programs in sustainable livelihoods and community-based rehabilitation projects, such as organic farming and craft-making. Today, some patients still call McKean Hospital's Ruam Jai Village home because of they are elderly and disabled and have no other options as opposed to hundreds of patients who were enabled to return to community life over the years. "The 40 years has gone passed very quickly," Dr Smith said. "We have had an enjoyable life and met some interesting people. We were at McKean long enough to see changes occurring. Many people don't get to see the changes if they come for short term medical placements such as three, fi ve or even 10 years. "But in 40 years you see changes, how leprosy has reduced and people's lives have been improved. We were exploring new ways to integrate, develop and expand leprosy work and it was an interesting and challenging adventure. Some of the nurses I work with now were babies I delivered to needy leprosy-affected families." Trevor and Heather have worked within a team of national health staff, including former patients to transform McKean Hospital into a major referral centre for leprosy and general patients. The couple have also been heavily involved in training Thai and international medical students in leprosy care and awareness. The couple raised their four children at McKean with the challenge of returning them to Australia for study at age 13. Forty years on, their children are now living in Melbourne, Adelaide, London and Bangkok and they have six grandchildren. You can learn more about Heather and Trevor's work at McKean Hospital during a 10-day cycling tour, "Ride for Rehab'' with TLMA in Thailand between January 12 – 23, 2012. Inquiries: (03) 9890 0577 or www.leprosymission.org.au THE RETIREE SPRING 175