FrontPage

Member Area

Wednesday

Aug 20th

FrontPage

The News

Health

Media hamper efforts to help Samoan baby

Written by courtesy of Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
An Australian church offering to help a badly deformed Samoan baby get treatment says efforts have been frustrated by media seeking an exclusive story. A member of an Adelaide church has said a Samoan television station refused to hand over scans taken of the child to Australian doctors because they did not want to lose the story - claims rejected by the news organisation. Miracletina Nanai - known as Baby Miracle - was born in a Samoan village about five months ago with severe facial deformities and doctors initially told her parents not to feed her because she would not live. After food was smuggled into the hospital, Miracle survived against the odds and is now home in the care of her parents. The baby made international news when New Zealand immigration authorities refused her entry to get treatment, after a doctors' report advised Miracle would not be cured by surgery. The South Pacific Islands Community Christian Church in Adelaide offered to try to arrange for the little girl to go to Australia for treatment after she was rejected by New Zealand. But John Blackmore from Adelaide's South Pacific Islands Community Christian Church has said his group's efforts to help the child had been frustrated. Blackmore, an administrator at the church, said he understood a Samoan TV station was refusing to release medical reports taken of Miracle because it did not want to give up the chance of an exclusive story. "Because the TV channel is holding the bag, as they say, we have been trying to get the scans from them. They are refusing to hand them over. They are not being co-operative," Blackmore said. "All we needed was the images, the CAT scans. The doctor here, he was going to organise everything - their airfares and everything. "He (the doctor) is just waiting to get those scans. He says if he can do something they will act immediately," Blackmore said. Another group, the THORN Ministry, has since been working with Baby Miracle's family in Samoa to fly the little girl to Miami, in the US, for treatment. A decision on whether the girl will be taken to the US for surgery is expected as early as today (Wednesday). Managing director of TV Samoa, Taufau Gardenia Aukuso, confirmed her organisation had some medical reports of Baby Miracle, but said they could not be released without the parents' permission. Aukuso said if the child was granted entry to the United States a TV Samoa reporter would be escorting Baby Miracle to Miami, but only to act as an interpreter for the parents. "They (the Australian church) emailed me, but because of confidential reasons I cannot release the medical reports on my own. I have to get the family's consent to do that," she said. She said her TV station did not have all of Miracle's medical records. "I don't have the actual scans from American Samoa. Only the doctors in (Samoa's capital) Apia have the actual scans. It is only the medical reports from the beginning that I have," she said. Tooa Kristin Taylor from THORN Ministry said she did not think a desire for an exclusive story by media organisations was postponing treatment for Miracle. "I am not sure if it is a twist on the exclusive. I kind of had that sense at one point, but being with the women involved I feel they genuinely care. They can't just give out medical records," she said. © 2008 AAP Comments (3) Subscribe to this comment's feed ... written by GC, January 29, 2008 Baby Miracle is now the launching pad for whoever to declare to the world that he/she has the biggest heart/ego/money/truth/medical acumen/piety and whatnot. The editor of that other paper pulled out all the stops by publishing a private discourse to settle a truth claim on the matter, an act I frown upon as a breach of trust and privacy. When news broke out about Miracle, I was forced to donate to the save baby miracle private office fund. The bleeding hearts demeanor and the outright hostility of the fund collectors when I asked how the money would help gave me pause. People genuinely care, I genuinely care, its just that some problems arent taken care of by throwing money and passion to it. I wouldn't count on the doctors who made the initial assessment on baby Miracle to be that dishonest with it. Some of the reports and statements that have come out of it would paint them as unqualified and to an extent, infanticidal. These would be serious if it were made by their peers but no, its from our politicians/ so called miracle workers; reverends, priests, bishops et al (my irony meter broke)/ and the ignorant. Now, their assessment might be based on incomplete information, but please, let another doctor tell them that. Your unqualified opinion, if it turns out to be true, doesnt make you a world class physician but an arrogant coat-riding opportunist. Baby Miracle chance is with the Miami Children Research Medical Center written by Joyce Samuelu, January 30, 2008 I write to applaud the efforts made by the US woman to bring Baby Mircale here in the USA. I am here in the US visiting my parents and have watched the Discovery Health Channel here and was a programme on a baby too with facial problems. Watching this I notice that the this baby has worst problems comapre to what Baby Miracle has. So I have no doubts that the effort to bring Miracle here will certainly help her. So again a big faamalo to Tooa Kristian Taylor for the great initiative and hope this effort will be implemented and help baby Miracle in some way. Soifua hope to see u soon in the u.s written by renee taefu, January 31, 2008 hopefully baby miracle will make it to the u.s for surgery. i know this baby been though a lot, i konw for a fact the hospital in the u.s will make her a total differnt person. i see alot of children worst than baby miracle turn out good. wish u luck and hope u gonna come. and i'll promise i'll fly down to miami to see. lots of love from leiataua and taefu family Write comment Name Email Title Comment
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 January 2008 )

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

Polls

The Land Bill ?

	Against it
	For it
	Need more info

US Presidential Elections

	John McCain
	Barak Obama
	Ralph Nader

Would you send your Aiga a RHD Car?

	Yep...I'm getting it ready now
	Yep....Sometime Soon
	Nope.....We dont have RHD Cars here
	Nope.....I'd rather just send money

Cece’s BingoTop 10 On Talofa FM

--ADVERTISEMENTS--

Google Satellite Map of Eveni Carruthers

--ADVERTISEMENTS--

FiaOla.com Featured Items

Before you buy, check out FiaOla.com for bargains

BARGAIN! INVESTMENT! Prime
Location 1/4 Acre Land & House

Land Rover Discovery.

Cook Island Pareo Dresses

	GYM SET
	Printing Business for Sale.

"Where the natives buy and sell"

--ADVERTISEMENTS--

Latest Comments

Rudolf Moves Onto the Semi Finals in Beijing
Well done Rudolf

and also to the rest of the team

Too Many Heart Complications Worry SMA President
Talofa to everyone.... very sad to hear about that brother died last week and also others are not r...

Aunese Gets Ready For His Event Tonight in Beijing
Faamalosi aunese! much support from vaiola college

Ele Opeloge Puts Samoa on the World Olympic Map
You did us proud ele..malo le tauivi

Ele Opeloge Puts Samoa on the World Olympic Map
Bien Echo(well done) I love to see my usos do well in anything; I remember my days on your island wi...

Social Network

Join the Newsline Team on Bebo

www.bebo.com/newslineS

Become part of the Newsline Bebo Network

Get News via your Email

Subscribe to Samoa Live News Headlines by Email

Get the Latest News on your Blackberry or PDA

Subscribe in a reader

Sounds from Samoa

Listen to broadcasts from LiveSamoa.com
Courtesy of Plantation Feet, SBC(540am) and
Radio Polynesia(99.9 FM)

http://www.samoalive.com/sliveradio.asx

Live on Weekdays from 8am to 9am

Have your Say

We want your Opinion

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
If you would like to submit a letter for possible
publication in the print edition of the Newsline,
please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

We want your News

Submit News from your Area
If you would like to submit News for possible
publication in both the online and print version
of Newsline please feel free to email us
at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Become a News Blogger
Have a passion for writing? Interested in
writing articles for Newsline? Email us
at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
We are looking for Bloggers from
around the world to contribute to our site.