Funds needed to relieve Kalgoorlie-Boulder resident’s ‘excruciating pain’

For the past 10 months, a Kalgoorlie-Boulder resident has lived with excruciating pain in his lower back, and might have to bear it another year before his health insurance kicks in.

Samuel Bamford told the Kalgoorlie Miner he was unsure how he sustained a prolapsed L5-S1 disc in his lower spine, which is squashing his nerves and requires microdiscectomy surgery.

“I’ve got to have surgery so we went to see the specialist in Perth. She basically turned us away because of the private health insurance we hadn’t qualified. . . we’re still in waiting periods,” he said.

“But either we come up with 20 grand or sit like this for anywhere between 11 to 36 months.”

Samuel’s partner Jessica Gardiner said she was “kicking herself every day” for having taken out private health insurance only when his condition started to worsen.

“I kick myself every day for not doing it when the pain started initially, it should have been a red flag right there. So if anything, all I can say is people that are that are contemplating getting health insurance, don’t contemplate it, do it.”

As a result of his injury, Mr Bamford had to stop working, is still struggling to access disability payments, and is considering taking out money from his superannuation to keep the family afloat.

Ms Gardiner said she was working five days a week to try to bring in an income, but caring for both her partner and child who had a disability was “a hard struggle”.

“My boss even noticed that I was distracted by my job, and by everything that was going on here at home. So we just agreed that for now, this is obviously not right for me, because I couldn’t give her what she needed, of course. So I went out searching for cash work, any casual work, anything that I can get and I’ve had some luck, but it’s not constant, which is a very big struggle,” she said.

Ms Gardiner said their rent cost them $700 a week, on top of their $80 health insurance, bills, food and fuel, they were struggling to make ends meet.

She said they had to rent rooms out and sell $2000 worth of panel-beating tools Mr Bamford used for his work.

“(Our daughter Nyliah) is struggling. I can see it, Sam can see it. It’s obvious to a blind person . . . In the front room (there are) drums, that’s her escape because she’s got Down syndrome and autism, she’s non-verbal, that is her fun time,” Ms Gardiner said.

“She hasn’t been able to do it and all she wants, she comes up to me she starts dancing and she just wants the lights, the music and so Sam’s had to tell her ‘I’m baby, I can’t I’m sorry’.”

Mr Bamford said all he wanted was to be able to play the drums for his daughter and spend time with her instead of sleeping for 17 hours a day.

He said he was now reached his limit on every single dosage of pain killers, which he admitted to sometimes taking more than the prescribed dose to deal with the pain.

“Depending on the pain I’ve got some (medication) to take. (Sometimes) it’s excruciating, or when I have these bloody spasms in my back to the point where I’ve got to call the ambulance,” Mr Bamford said.

Ms Gardiner said the pair went to see a specialist in Perth, who told them it would cost $15,000 to $18,000 to have the surgery.

She said Mr Bamford could not sit for long periods of time, and therefore had to fly to Perth, which was a painful exercise.

“Our flight was excruciating for him, he had to take up a whole row of three seats,” Ms Gardiner said.

“He’s had his CT scans, his injections, pain management, we’ve done everything that we can. Now it’s just the surgery.”

The family has set up a GoFundMe which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/5fxwxxnf