Relief finally on way for little girl in agony

Alex de Vos
Highton cerebral palsy sufferer Penelope Manning will “finally” go under the knife next month following an agonising five-month wait for surgery that could prolong her life.
Penelope’s mother Elizabeth slammed the waiting list, labelling it an “absolute disgrace”.
She said her 12-year-old daughter was in constant pain as her spine became more twisted the longer she had to wait for the surgery.
Mrs Manning said doctors had classified Penelope a “semi-urgent” case for treatment in February, meaning the surgery had to be performed within 90 days.
But she was still waiting five months later.
Mrs Manning said her daughter had missed a lot of school and was always uncomfortable.
“Her school, Roslyn primary, has been fantastic managing her but her concentration is poor and it’s probably because she’s uncomfortable and in pain,” Mrs Manning said.
Penelope’s surgeon contacted the Manning family after Melbourne’s The Age newspaper reported her plight earlier this week.
“He indicated that she would be operated on in a month,” Mrs Manning said.
Mrs Manning was angry her daughter “had to get worse” before she was eligible for surgery.
She blamed a lack of intensive care beds, nursing staff and ward space at Royal Children’s Hospital for the lengthy delay.
“There also needs to be better management of complex cases,” she said.
State Government recently unveiled $1 billion plans for a new Royal Children’s Hospital including a multi-million-dollar zoo.
Mrs Manning said she knew of some families who had waited up to 18 months for surgery similar to Penelope’s required procedure.
“The wait for scoliosis surgery has always been a disgrace,” she said.
Last week Penelope had to have a feeding tube inserted to maintain her weight after she encountered trouble eating.
“The surgeon wants to wait a month to give her a chance to put a bit more weight on – things seem to have moved a bit faster now,” Ms Manning said.
On Tuesday night Penelope was rushed to hospital because her parents thought her feeding tube had stopped working properly.
“Luckily it was a false alarm, so she’s going to go school today to give her something fun to do,” Ms Manning said.
Roslyn Primary School integration aide Deanne Sutherland said teachers and staff were seeking donations to buy an “adapted tricycle” for Penelope.
“Riding is the only physical activity she can do and would be another way for her to interact with her friends,” Ms Sutherland said.