Emotional news for ENB woman

Forty-year-old East New Britain woman, Joanne Schulz, was quite emotional after receiving news of her second test result. And rightly so.

She was relieved that the result was negative while a heavy burden was lifted off her shoulders when all her contacts were cleared of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“That was my biggest worry; sitting and waiting for my contacts’ results,” said the health volunteer and advocate.

“I was very much relieved and grateful to God that they hadn’t contracted it.

“My test came out negative, and I believe in the professionals that have handled my second test. I now await my third test results; they were taken today (April 13) so hopefully in the next days or couple of hours from now, we should have the results back.

“I’m positive that we will have a good outcome and I’m positive that I will come back negative.

“All I want is for people to stop living in fear and I hope that our respective authorities can study my case and they’d know how to go about managing COVID-19, if any other cases are confirmed.”

As an advocate, she has crossed paths with many patients – whether HIV, TB or diabetes – who have suffered continuous stigma, some to the point where they become depressed or default from treatment.

“The psychological abuse – it is something I wouldn’t wish on anybody else,” continued Schulz.

“The most disheartening part of it is, the people around me, the communities that have been in distress and affected by the stigma and discrimination from the public. At some stage I was in tears because I felt that because of me, all of this was happening.

“And that goes to show the effect of stigma that patients go through. They feel the need to be blamed even though they did not choose their fate,” said Schulz, her voice heavy with emotion.

“And I now appreciate completely the life of patients that live with stigma and discrimination.

“And if people do not think that it is a problem; it is a really big contributing factor to why patients default or patients deteriorate and why they become mentally ill. I’ve experienced all of that through working with them but I now appreciate the fact that I am one of them.

“I love my community, I love my people and I love my family.”

Schulz appreciated her sister Hazel’s unwavering support as well as that of businesswoman Janet Sios.

“Also my Schulz’s family, my relatives, my LLG – the six wards on lockdown. I appreciate my people, I appreciate the support, I appreciate their understanding.

“Also I’d like to mention the support that I’ve gotten from this community from day one when my results went viral on social media. I’d like to send a special thank you to one of our ENB leaders, Levi Orong, for his kind gesture to our community and to the one physician that is one of the most finest and greatest physician that I will ever cross in my path – Dr Al Maha, our deputy chief physician of the New Guinea Islands.”

Schulz further made special mention of South Sea Horizons and Echo Ltd for contributing food and kind to her family, which was donated to the community.

“They were the first two companies that came in with support and I am so humbled by their kind gesture.

“Also a special mention to the Manus community, the Bainings, the Kombiu LLG and the Pomio people – they came in with vegetables and garden food.”

(Picture of Joanne Schulz; published with her permission)

Author: 
Carmella Gware